A MAN HAS been arrested following an altercation between protesters and construction workers at the site of a disused hotel in Aughrim in Co Wicklow.
Protesters attended the site of the Lawless Heron Hotel, which is currently not open for business, in Aughrim on Monday.
They filmed themselves asking construction workers why they were on site and asking them to leave. One man in the video tells the workers to “pack up and get the fuck out”, giving them an hour to do so.
In a statement, gardaí confirmed that a man in his 30s was arrested this morning in relation to the incident.
“Workers contracted to carry out lawful employment on the site were allegedly subjected to abuse by individuals present. Gardaí attended the scene and were also subjected to abuse.
“As part of a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the incident, a man aged in his 30s was arrested under the Criminal Justice Public Order Act 1994 this morning.”
The man is currently being detained under section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a garda station in county Wicklow, the statement added.
DAC Construction, a family-run business, was tasked with carrying out work on the site.
In recent days, there was speculation online that the site had been earmarked to house IP applicants.
However, the hotel’s owners have said they are not planning to use the site for this purpose. They said the property is currently being renovated so a beer garden and food court can operate over the summer.
The Journal has also confirmed with officials that the property has not been contracted to house asylum seekers.
One of the construction workers told The Journal it is “disgraceful” that he and his colleagues were intimidated into leaving the site.
“We’re still a bit shook, it’s very hard to work after that,” he said on Tuesday.
Gardaí said investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Contains reporting by Niall O’Connor
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