The Irish government has been forced to abandon expedited plans to establish a migrant encampment for 1,000 alleged asylum seekers following a legal challenge from a local councillor over the camp’s environmental impact.
Ireland’s High Court was told this week that the government has “conceded” a case brought forward by Cllr Paul Hogan against plans to house around 1,000 male migrants in 150 tents near the town of Athlone in central Ireland.
Mr Hogan, a member of the centre-right Independent Ireland party, essentially argued from a left-wing perspective against the left-wing government, saying that the government had failed to conduct proper environmental assessments for the scheme, which would have eventually seen the erection of modular housing units to hold the migrants, broadcaster RTE reports.
The councillor also warned of traffic risks, given that because the migrants would be given free reign to leave the facility, it would “inevitably cause a significant traffic hazard and a health and safety issue” on the roads around the encampment.
Cllr Hogan also argued that dumping 1,000 men into the town of around 22,000 would be “prejudicial to public health” as the local health services are already overstretched.
Independent Ireland’s manifesto has noted: “Schools are overcrowded, doctor wait times continue to grow, and the school dentist is a distant memory. Illegal immigration has devastated the tourism industry, which has been one of our largest industries for the better half of a half century.
“Understandably, many Irish citizens oppose the creation of permanent migrant centres in their communities.”
The announcement from the government in October of the plans sparked a significant backlash in the small town, including fundraisers for the legal challenge, local meetings, and protests.
In an affidavit presented to the High Court, Hogan said that he and other local councillors were given “no prior consultation or communication” from the Department of Integration prior to the announcement of the planned migrant camp.
At a demonstration last month against the planned migrant camp, one local resident told the Irish Independent newspaper: “We have no trust in the government to find out who these people are. They are just not listening to our concerns and our community is lost.”
“We are not racist, but what the government is doing would make you very racist,” another said. “It’s just too many single men.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Aengus O’Rourke remarked that the case demonstrated that “the state can’t just run roughshod over a community without consulting with the democratic process”.
O’Rourke said that the case should send a strong message to the government and that he hopes “they are listening”.