Following media reports highlighting appalling conditions that asylum seekers in East Wall are living in, Workers’ Party Dublin Central representative Garrett Greene has called for an immediate investigation into the suitability of the ESB building for residential accommodation.
Greene said:
“The stories that have emerged from residents show that their living conditions are not humane, with one man describing the cubicle that he and his family live in as ‘being caged like an animal.’
In Britain there have been outbreaks of communicable diseases among asylum seeker communities due to poor living conditions that they have been placed in. Living in cramped and unsafe conditions puts the wellbeing of these residents at risk, particularly in the context of the current upsurge in viral diseases such as RSV and covid in Ireland.
Under our international obligations it is our role to house asylum seekers appropriately, just as it is the role of the government to ensure that all of those resident in Ireland should have a safe and secure place to live that is of decent quality.”
Greene continued:
“As the Workers’ Party has already stated, both asylum seekers and local communities are currently being used as a political football by cynical political actors from the far right to the Green Party.
The only beneficiaries in this process are the virtue-signalling Green Party Minister, Roderic O’Gorman, the private operators of these emergency facilities, and those that these private operators are politically connected to.
It is not benefiting local communities whose concerns are being dismissed and who are being cynically divided by outside actors.
And it is clearly not beneficial to those seeking asylum who are living in fear due to the government failing to deal with community concerns that are leading to protests, as well as what would seem to be totally inadequate living conditions.”
Greene concluded:
“The Workers’ Party is calling for an immediate inspection of the East Wall facilities by independent health and safety and medical authorities. We believe the government cannot afford to wait until something goes drastically wrong and must act now.
While this process is undertaken, there should be a complete pause on moving new residents into the ESB building and those residents who have recently arrived should be moved back to the more suitable facilities that they have been removed from.
While we understand that this is an emergency situation this should not allow for the total override by Minister O’Gorman of planning rules and regulations that would normally apply to residential accommodation.”
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Following media reports highlighting appalling conditions that asylum seekers in East Wall are living in, the Workers’ Party is calling for an immediate investigation into the suitability of the ESB building for residential accommodation.
The stories that have emerged from residents show that their living conditions are not humane, with one man describing the cubicle that he and his family live in as ‘being caged like an animal.’
In Britain there have been outbreaks of communicable diseases among asylum seeker communities due to poor living conditions that they have been placed in. Living in cramped and unsafe conditions puts the wellbeing of these residents at risk, particularly in the context of the current upsurge in viral diseases such as RSV and covid in Ireland.
Under our international obligations it is our role to house asylum seekers appropriately, just as it is the role of the government to ensure that all of those resident in Ireland should have a safe and secure place to live that is of decent quality.
As the Workers’ Party has already stated, both asylum seekers and local communities are currently being used as a political football by cynical political actors from the far right to the Green Party.
The only beneficiaries in this process are the virtue-signalling Green Party Minister, Roderic O’Gorman, the private operators of these emergency facilities, and those that these private operators are politically connected to.
It is not benefiting local communities whose concerns are being dismissed and who are being cynically divided by outside actors.
And it is clearly not beneficial to those seeking asylum who are living in fear due to the government failing to deal with community concerns that are leading to protests, as well as what would seem to be totally inadequate living conditions.
The Workers’ Party is calling for an immediate inspection of the East Wall facilities by independent health and safety and medical authorities. We believe the government cannot afford to wait until something goes drastically wrong and must act now.
While this process is undertaken, there should be a complete pause on moving new residents into the ESB building and those residents who have recently arrived should be moved back to the more suitable facilities that they have been removed from.
While we understand that this is an emergency situation this should not allow for the total override by Minister O’Gorman of planning rules and regulations that would normally apply to residential accommodation.