DUBLIN: Irish police dismantled around 200 tents which housed asylum seekers in Dublin, early on Wednesday. The authorities are tackling what has become a ‘focal point’ for heated debate surrounding migration.

Ireland is struggling to accommodate record numbers of refugees, while also facing a housing shortage. The so-called tent city had sprung up in and around government buildings in the capital’s central Mount Street area, over the last year.

While the young men residing in small tents in the city were largely left alone, there have been protests in smaller communities against migrants living in hotels and hostels. Violence broke out in Dublin in November, led by far-right activists.

The government stated on Wednesday that the camped-out asylum seekers had been re-located to sites south of Dublin, with weather-proof tents, showers, food and security.

Prime Minister Simon Harris stated ahead of the move, that it was important they did not return. “We do not live in a country where makeshift shantytowns are allowed to just develop,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024