Ireland: Fires, pepper spray and clashes with police as anti-immigration protests break out in County Wicklow | World News

Pepper spray flew, protesters were pushed to the ground, flames leaped in the background as chants of “shame on you” filled the night air.

Scenes from Newtownmountkennedy in County Wicklow It won’t have been a big surprise to many. It is just the latest manifestation of growing frustration with Ireland’s immigration policies.

The proposed refugee accommodation site has been a bubbling cauldron of resentment and anger for weeks, often characterized by tense clashes with Gardai officers.

Like many of the protest sites we’ve visited, there’s a mix of local residents – concerned about the sudden arrival of asylum seekers in their under-resourced rural area – and anti-immigration activists and “citizen journalists”, from Dublin and further away.

Traditional media is not welcome on these sites. An RTE cameraman was expelled from the protest in Newtownmountkennedy. Even wearing a hoodie and jeans, and simply holding a phone, I was immediately asked if I was a police officer or a journalist, before being told to “fuck off”.

Police are investigating a series of arson attacks at locations like this across the country, as the Irish government struggles to house the growing number of asylum seekers. Long without suitable accommodation, a tent city has been erected around the International Protection Office on Dublin’s Mount Street.

The dozens of tents, resembling Skid Row in the heart of Dublin’s Georgian Quarter, are where mostly male refugees camp, live, urinate and defecate. Charities try to help with sanitation and food. It has become a focal point of protest. Anti-immigrant activists circulate videos of the tent city.

The government removed the tents and their unfortunate residents from the streets ahead of the international attention of St. Patrick’s Day. But he immediately jumped again. When we visited on Thursday, it looked bigger than ever.

It seems like the system is being overwhelmed.

Why is it happening? Could the actions of Ireland’s nearest neighbor bear some responsibility?

Ireland’s Justice Minister Helen McEntee told a parliamentary committee this week that more than 80% of asylum seekers in Dublin were estimated to have crossed the border into Northern Ireland.

Six thousand people have applied for asylum in Ireland so far this year, so by McEntee’s estimate 4,800 of them came from the UK.

We don’t know for sure because the border is not guarded. Ironically, the same open, invisible border that the Irish government fought so hard to maintain during Brexit could now prove problematic when it comes to immigration.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin has openly blamed, at least in part, the UK’s policy towards Rwanda.

He said “fearful” people were trying to “get refuge here and within the European Union rather than the possibility of being deported to Rwanda.”

Last month, the Irish High Court ruled that Britain’s designation as a “safe country” for returning refugees was unlawful and instead deemed it unsafe due to the risk of them being sent to Rwanda.

The “Ireland ruling Britain is insecure” spin that led to some UK media hinting at the diplomatic headache Dublin could now face.

It also means that it could now be illegal to send refugees back to Britain, another reason why refugees fear being sent to Rwanda are tempted to take a ferry to Larne or belfast and cross the invisible border.

The Irish government is rapidly drafting legislation to try to get around the court ruling. But there is no doubt that Rwanda’s policy, which was approved on Tuesdaycould be a factor behind an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland.

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For the first time, immigration will be a hot topic in Ireland’s upcoming general election.

Ministers know this and know that they must make changes.

They hope to persuade voters that signing the controversial new EU migration pact will help make Ireland stronger and fairer on immigration, even though it will not come into force until 2026.

New Taoiseach Simon Harris says new laws are also needed to deal with refugees who already have residency status in the UK.

He said on Thursday: “We need to put in place a process that if someone has status in another country, in this case the UK, and comes here seeking asylum, they should be returned to Britain. And so it will be necessary for a legislative change here.” .

McEntee will meet British Home Secretary James Cleverly next week to discuss the issue.

It seems unlikely that the Conservatives will give an inch on their hard-fought policy towards Rwanda. The Irish will have to figure out how to deal with the consequences.

Meanwhile, many here fear the fires will continue to burn.