Government not aware of plans to accommodate refugees in Scool despite protests

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

A LARGE HOUSE in the townland of Scool will not be used to accommodate asylum seekers.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman (GP) has confirmed that the five bedroom property at the centre of the latest migrant protest will not be used to house refugees or asylum seekers.

Officials in the Department told The Clare Echo it was not aware of the property referred to and that it had not received an offer for it to come into use for such a purpose. Clare County Council also says it has received no formal application for the use of the dewlling under the ‘Ukrainian Offer A Home Scheme’.

Sides in favour and opposed to the housing of asylum seekers and refugees both protested in Scool situated between Corofin and Dysart this week. Up to 42 persons pitched themselves outside the property on Sunday evening including well-known figures in the Irish Freedom Party.

Detailed misinformation on social media was blamed by the Minister for the staging of the protest. “This is entirely as the result of misinformation that’s been circulated on social media, detailed misinformation setting out indicative numbers, indicative genders”. He added, “We are not using the site that has been identified in Corofin. It’s never been offered to us and I can’t be clearer than that.”

Following initial reports that the property was set to be used for accommodating asylum seekers, locals had pitched themselves at a T-junction in Scool but had not cordoned off access to the road or formed a blockade on Monday evening.

Residents living in close proximity told The Clare Echo they were not opposed to asylum seekers living in Corofin at the property but felt the potential figure of 40 was not safe.

Twenty two members of the newly formed Clare Solidarity Network held a counter-protest on Monday evening where matters became tense as either side tried to put their views across.

Senator Timmy Dooley (FF) was in Scool as both groups were in the area, he told both parties that the situation needed to be de-escalated “so we don’t have any blockades”. He added, “information takes away the opportunity for people to say we didn’t know”. Assurances were offered by the Mount- shannon man that no contract had been signed.

He condemned the attack on an elderly man, “people are entitled to object protest and have their voice heard, they are not entitled to attack anybody. It has to be condemned in the most forthright way”.

Lisdoonvarna’s Theresa O’Donohoe of the Clare Solidarity Network who was in Dublin as the counter-protest was held, stated, “We believe most

Inch residents vow to continue

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

BLOCKADES on the approach to Inch have been removed but locals continue to stage peaceful protests.

At a meeting of local residents in Kilmaley on Saturday evening, the proposals issued by Minister of State for Integration, Joe O’Brien (GP) were discussed. The Junior Minister had encouraged residents to remove the blockades and offered assurances that no further asylum seekers would be moved to Magowna House for a period of four weeks.

Warnings are understood to have been issued by An Garda Síochána to Inch locals that they would not be allowed to continue blocking the public road.

In a statement to The Clare Echo, Inch residents confirmed they were continuing to hold peaceful protests. “In response to our meeting with Minister O’Brien on Thursday last, our community group has decided to continue our peaceful protest at both ends of the Magowna Road. We welcome the engagement with the Minister over the past few days and for now we will remove the so-called blockade as he has requested. We remain convinced that this location is totally unsuitable for the purpose of asylum seeker accommodation. We look forward to further discussions in the coming days. Inch community will protest at Magowna House Hotel”.

Locals remain on duty in Inch were peaceful protest signs have been erected. The protest remains set to continue with the Junior Minister due to return in three weeks.

For six days, locals had mounted blockades at Magowna Cross, Magowna House and Magowna Hill following the arrival of 34 male asylum seekers on Monday evening. The amount of men now based in Inch is believed to have dropped below 29.

Over the weekend, locals had told The Clare Echo they feared it was not sustainable to continue with the blockades which saw residents stand at the three points on four-hour shifts.

Senator Martin Conway (FG) said, “While I acknowledge communities’ right to express concerns, it is not right that anybody’s movements should be restricted, impeded or stopped by any other party, and I see this move as a very positive sign and a direct result of the engagement that has taken place between community representatives, Government representatives and members of an Garda Síochána.”

Dooley addresses protesters in Corofin people in Clare are compassionate and want to help those fleeing persecution and war. Unfortunately, their voices have been drowned out and intimidated by those seeking to block asylum seekers from coming to the area. And now with this latest terrifying incident, we have seen that local people are in more danger from extremists than from asylum seekers. This shocking incident also appears to be another example of agitators infiltrating, or even instigating, local protests, and creating and exploiting fear and hatred”.

Responding to Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) in the Dáil, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (FG) said efforts were ongoing to improve communications, informations and engagements with local communities. “We do acknowledge that in some cases it could have been better, I think in Co Clare that is was one of those places that it could have been better in the last few weeks”.

Corofin man injured during protest to undergo operation

AN ELDERLY Corofin man is to undergo an operation today (Thursday) after he was left hospitalised by persons opposed to the potential housing of asylum seekers in the locality, writes Páraic McMahon

Video footage surfaced over the weekend over a high volume of beds crammed into a vacant property in the isolated part of Scool between Dysart and Corofin with unconfirmed reports that this was set to house up to 40 asylum seekers, the garage on the property had also been renovated with beds put in there to increase the amount of men on site.

This led to a small protest taking place in Corofin en route to the property which was the location of the assault on Sunday evening.

The Clare Echo understands that a well-known local man in his seventies tried to gain access to the road on Sunday evening and did not recognise the individuals he came across with two men stopping him from getting past. He had a torch shone in his face by individuals and tried to proceed past them and ended up being hit with the torch into the face. He sustained facial injuries which required stitches at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told The Clare Echo, “Gardaí are making enquiries into an alleged assault which occurred in Corofin, Co.Clare on Sunday night”. No formal complaint is understood to have been issued to the Gardaí.

An ambulance was requested by the man which transported him to UHL, he was released from hospital on Monday. Although he returned home earlier this week, the 72 year old is to undergo an operation on Thursday according to a close friend.