LAST UPDATE | 14 Aug

A LOCAL NETWORK of community and civic groups in Tipperary have signed a petition to “reject hate and division” in the county and demand that Government do “better for everyone”.

Yesterday, protests were staged in Dundrum, a village in west Tipperary, against the use of a hotel to house people seeking international protection as gardaí sought to escort approximately 80 asylum seekers safely past a blockade formed by several dozen people.

Following the demonstrations, 17 organisations and 72 individuals – including Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne – from towns across the county have signed a petition to reject “hate and division” and called for better treatment of the county by the Government.

In an accompanying letter, the group denounced a “small, loud minority” of citizens in Tipperary who they say do not represent their vision for the future of the midlands region.

The group claim that successive Governments have “let the people of Tipperary down”, pointing to low numbers of new social housing builds with more than 3,000 people on the county’s housing list.

Dwindling healthcare services were also highlighted by the group, such as the closure of the emergency department in Nenagh and alleged attempts to downgrade the South Tipperary general hospital.

“We achieve extraordinary things when we come together in solidarity and compassion,” the group says. “We as people of Tipperary need to stand together again and demand better for everyone.”

“No matter who you are, where you come from or how you identify, we all deserve a safe, warm home, healthcare when we are sick, fantastic schools and to feel same in our communities.”

A similar call was made by some protesters in Dundrum yesterday, who denounced “outside agitators” who appeared in Tipperary “looking absolutely gleeful” about a potential standoff.

“They do NOT represent us,” the Facebook page post said. “We are, again, calling for peace.”

Two protesters who spoke to The Journal yesterday said their reason for disapproving of the use of the Dundrum House Hotel was due to the business it created for the small town and for the use of it by families in the area during the summer months, before it closed down.

The said they wished the hotel would reopen for commercial use, instead of choosing to house people seeking international protection.

Andrea Crowe, whose family owned the hotel before going into receivership, said: “You have to remember, if you’re in a city then you’re not dependent on one thing. But here, this [hotel] is all we have. There’s very little else here.”

Locals in the area have manned the protest outside Dundrum House Hotel every day since late May. Protesters have said that they plan to “regroup” at the site at a later time, and held a local meeting in the area last night.

Yesterday, one man was removed from the scene and treated for minor injuries after scuffles between protesters and gardaí. A spokesperson for gardaí later said that a man in his 40s was arrested and was subsequently been released without charge.

In a statement this afternoon, TD Martin Browne said that Tipperary has been “let down by successive governments, with over 3,000 people on the county’s housing list, and a creaking health service following the closure of the emergency department at Nenagh Hospital and a shortage of GPs right across the county”.

However, he added that “those well-founded frustrations cannot and should not be taken out on vulnerable people arriving here fleeing traumatic situations”.

“These people deserve compassion and respect,” Browne said.

“The responsibility for the lack of housing in Tipperary, the depleted health system in the county and the running-down of public services lies entirely at the feet of the government. Division will achieve nothing for our communities. We need the people of Tipperary to stand together and demand that the government provide the services that everyone in this county needs and deserves.”

Includes reporting by Eoghan Dalton.