A dispute between grassroots asylum seeker activists and established migrant NGOs intensified today as a hunger strike outside the Oireachtas entered its 16th day.
While members of Abolish Direct Provision Ireland (ADPI) are holding daily rallies at the gates of Leinster House to protest against deportations, the group has also launched a “Hall of Shame” campaign, specifically protesting outside the offices of State-funded NGO groups, including the Irish Refugee Council, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, and more.
ADPI activists have used social media and protest speeches to accuse these organisations of acting as a “cartel” that accepts state grants to remain silent on government deportation orders. One recent post from the group stated that while some charity executives are “enjoying Minister Jim [O’Callaghan’s] money, asylum seekers are starving to fight for basic human rights.”
“Shame on you,” the group posted after a rally at a Dublin NGO office.
“Protest continues tomorrow at all NGOs offices who are using asylum seekers for career advancement.”
Such protests are scheduled to continue, with another rally planned for next week at the offices of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
Gript asked many of the named groups for comment, but most did not reply.
The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) replied to distance itself from the NGO sector as a whole.
“We are not an NGO and we do not get money from the government at all,” the group said.
“We are not sure in what context our name is mentioned.”
The central demand of the protest is the “Stamp 4 Pilot Project,” an amnesty proposal for approximately 1,500 long-term residents of the Direct Provision system.
ADPI members have pledged to move into private housing within six months and forgo future social housing claims if granted residency. The group alleges that mainstream NGOs have refused to endorse the plan, which activists have called “disgraceful.”
According to ADPI, five of its members have required hospitalisation since the hunger strike began on January 15th. One protester remained in hospital for a second night this week, while others have continued the fast.
While the Department of Justice recently published the International Protection Bill 2026 to speed up asylum decisions, Minister Jim O’Callaghan has not formally engaged with ADPI’s specific amnesty proposal.
The group also stated today that “deportation is illegal,” a claim not supported by Irish statute.