A packed meeting of residents of the village of Sallins in Co Kildare this week heard that locals would be taking political action by standing in the next election as they believe the government are “ignoring the people on immigration”.
The meeting organised by the Sallins Community Action Group was held on Monday, and while all local TDs were asked to attend, organisers said that they either “made excuses” or refused to respond.
Amongst the concerns expressed were safety issues around large numbers of migrants being brought to the area, and the impact on the infrastructure of the town.
Several people present at the meeting also told Gript that they felt angry that free accommodation was being prepared for newcomers to the area while their own children were finding it impossible to buy or rent a home, and while homelessness in the area continued to rise.
One of the organisers, Marion Gordon said that “people who have genuine questions are being bullied and called names – and these are people who are lived in Sallins all their lives and have every right to be concerned and to have a say”.
She said that at the meeting, which saw large numbers standing as every seat was taken, those people “got a chance to speak, instead of being just being spoken down to by politicians and people who tell us that we have to accept what the governments plans for Sallins without consulting the people who live here.”
Ms Gordon said there was “a big representation at the meeting from people who have come to live here from other countries”.
“Polish families and people from Brazil who have come to Ireland legally, and they don’t like how we are all being treated in this way by the government either,” she said.
One Polish woman told Gript that families had worked hard to purchase homes in Waterways, the area where the new migrant centre is planned, and that she felt the centre would raise serious safety concerns for families.
“A lot of Polish people living at or near Waterway have been out protesting with us in Sallins because they have worked so hard to buy homes there and be part of the community, and they say they are now afraid of the changes that are being proposed,” Ms Gordon said.
Local protests began to take place in Sallins in September after it emerged that housing in an area known as Waterways was going to be used to house migrants. It was hoped that a hotel would have been redeveloped in the area, but Minister Roderic O’Gorman said at the time that: “Waterways Hotel, Sallins, Co. Kildare, was offered to the Department through its Request for Tender (RFT) for “Bespoke Panel Agreement for the Provision of Accommodation Services and Related Services for Persons Seeking International Protection” which was published in the fourth quarter of 2022.”
Marion Gordon said that the government seemed wholly concerned with providing for those who were coming into the country but she asked “what about the duty of care to the people in the area”.
She said that the developers of the property, Tetrach, say that there will be 112 people housed in the building. At the meeting it was suggested that Tetrach should be also then asked to undertake safety measures for those already living in Sallins, Ms Gordon said.
It was the view of the Sallins Action Committee that Tetrach’s should undertake a risk assessment and seek not only implement measures to protect employed staff but also protect others in the community affected by their operation. Risks should be classified as physical, chemical, biological, human factors, and operational, and appropriate control measures should be implemented for each category, Ms Gordon said.
The meeting also heard concerns expressed for women and children living in direct provision, especially in light of reported incidences in other centres, and it was stressed that the cultural and religious needs of women needed to be met.
Several of those attending the meeting heard that what they felt was a lack of Garda foot patrols in the Sallins and Naas area was a major cause for concern given that more than a hundred strangers were due to arrive. Concerns regarding a possible rise in incidents of violence against women were also raised.
Others said that false accusations of racism were being used to silence people who asked questions.
POLITICAL ACTION
She said that people at the meeting had expressed doubt that they could rely on politicians for assurances, and that some said that they felt spurred into political action by what was happening.
“There’s an awful lot of mistrust, especially because the local TDs seem to only want to speak to the chosen few locally and are either ignoring the majority of the people or acting as if we are doing something wrong,” she said.
Local Fianna Fáil TD, James Lawless, came in for particular criticism from some of those who attended the meeting, but they were also sharply critical other local TDs who they say have refused to respond to local concerns.
Some of those attending said they would be presenting themselves as candidates in the local election, with one such candidate Tom McDonald saying that they had “started canvassing already”. They said that the political parties were “ignoring the people on immigration”.
Ms Gordan she said that it was a local reality that landlords were selling up out of the market and that young people and families were finding it extraordinarily difficult to find somewhere to live, yet Irish people were not being prioritised.
One local mother from Sallins agreed saying, “the local representatives didn’t bother turning up and meanwhile a generation of young people are emigrating or stuck in their parent’s houses unable to buy or rent and have a family of their own”.
“The government is spending billions on this while my daughter’s family are trying to rent for over a year, and she has been outbid by her own government who are looking for properties for the citizens of other countries,” she said.
“My neighbour’s son is five years trying to build a home on his own land and constantly being refused. Old people who spent decades paying taxes and lived through hard times are being thrown out of nursing homes, to stick some chancer in that sees us as the fools we are. People are coming here because we’re giving away so much to then for free while there are plenty like me, dreading Christmas because of energy bills. It is just sickening.
Local man, Tom Cross, told the meeting that it was now a case of the Irish “going to hell or to Connaught”. He told Gript that Irish people have a right to stand up and to protect their identity.
At the protests in September, local people said they believed Irish people were “being bullied and ignored” by the government who were operating by “stealth” to open migrant centres in areas without consultation.
In a statement to constituents at the time, James Lawless TD said: “These accommodation centres are arranged directly between the Department of Integration and property owners via a public tender process – TDs and Councillors are not a part of that process. However, I understand people will look to their public representatives for information and guidance and I am working intensively to gather and provide as much of that as possible.”
“We are dealing with enough crises in our own country. My fear is that they (people who may arrive) are unvetted. Our safety cannot be guaranteed by the gardaí,” said local woman Ciara Timmons told Kildare Now.