Tag: East Wall

Conor McGregor Stands in Solidarity With East Wall
Irish Protest

Conor McGregor Stands in Solidarity With East Wall

Dec 17, 2022 by Quianna Canada 0 Comments , , ,

The locals in Dublin who have been protesting the housing of ‘military aged male’ asylum seekers and Conor McGregor stands in solidarity with East Wall. A Twitter user accused McGregor of wanting to be a politician, but the two division UFC World Champion stated, “…no I do not want to be a politician. Just that they have to answer to me.”

Over the past few weeks, locals have taken to the streets and protested the housing of male asylum seekers in Clondalkin, Dublin, Fermoy and Wicklow.  They have also called for a referendum on Ireland’s current immigration policy, which has garnered nearly 2,000 signatures. Concerns raised in their petition revolve around the alleged sexual assaults on girls, the alleged harassment of women, the alleged illegitimate claims made by asylum seekers, and the closing of nursing homes to house asylum seekers.

In the midst of the tension, Dublin Live reported that as many as 100 refugees moved into the East Wall centre on 15 December, inflaming the locals, who have called on the centre to be shut down. 

Conor McGregor Stands With East Wall
Courtesy of Conor McGregor

East Wall Here For All posted a press release on the same day stating it would “maintain positive relations for all residents in East Wall and surrounding communities.” It further asserted that it would both “meet with residents in the direct provision centres,” and “consult with residents” residing in Dublin.

Conor McGregor Stands in Solidarity With East Wall. Anyone Else?

No blue checkmark figures retweeted the Cage Warrior’s tweet in support of East Wall nor has any responded in opposition to his support for the protesters. However, U.S. politician Kawika Freitas, business consultant Andreya Taylor, Irish hurler Peter Quellay, and Antelope Hill Publishing have all liked the tweet.

McGregor has strongly opposed Ireland’s membership in the European Union, and has made comments such as “It is time to talk to Ireland leaving the European Union.”

Dublin locals protest housing of asylum seekers
The Quandary

Dublin locals Protest Housing of Asylum Seekers

Dec 14, 2022 by Quianna Canada 0 Comments , ,

Dublin locals protest housing of asylum seekers. East Wall locals marched down the Quays toward Dublin Port in protest over the recent housing of asylum seekers in the ESB Building. The locals travelled across the Samuel Beckett Bridge toward the Five Lamps on Amiens Street.

An Irish local tweeted “people are not blaming refugees.” Based on the tweet, the blame lands on the Government’s asylum policy. For instance, several locals claim that the government has not placed a cap on immigration into Ireland. 

Another belief is that asylum seekers are engaging in passport obliteration to frustrate deportation efforts. Indeed, solicitor Malachy Steenson stated on Red FM 104 that 40% of asylum seekers “lose their passport between boarding the plane and getting off.” According to Steenson, the advantage of destroying one’s passport is that one can “spin any story they want.”

Steenson is not wrong. The Irish Times reported that thousands of asylum seekers arrive at Dublin Airport with no travel documents.

Conor Gallagher claims approximately 2,915 people who filed asylum claims did not produce travel documents at the Irish border.

There are two theories behind passport obliteration. First, passport obliteration allows a person to enter a country without their true identity being known to officials. Second, passport obliteration lies down an anchor in the country. Hence, immigration officials cannot deport an individual to a country if they do not know what country the individual fled.

While engagement in passport obliteration could be for the reasons Steenson claims, it may also be for other reasons. For example, an individual may engage in passport obliteration because their country of origin has a low Convention Refugee Declaration approval rate.

East Wall’s call for a referendum to change Ireland’s current immigration policy has now garnered 1,793 signatures. It’s 1,000 signature goal has been revised to 2,500.

No Privacy for Women in Dublin ESB Building
The Quandary

No Privacy for Women in Dublin ESB Building

Dec 12, 2022 by Quianna Canada 3 Comments , ,

A woman uploaded a video to Twitter alleging there is no privacy for women in Dublin ESB Building. Although it is not immediately clear who the woman is or, whether she is an asylum seeker in Dublin, what is clear from the video is that the cubicle-like rooms do not offer privacy.

The cubicle-like rooms do appear to have doors. However, the woman infers that anyone can look into the rooms because the rooms seen in the video do not have ceilings. “They say there is privacy; I do not see the privacy,” says the woman in the video. “This is awful; this is really awful,” she laments.

Research indicates that many gender-based violence victims experience direct or peer victimisation of violent sexual assaults such as rape, sexual abuse or harassment upon their arrival in the EU. The UN Refugee Agency echoed this sentiment in a report on Cyprus, illustrating that the vast majority of sexually exploited victims had been trafficked (85.2%) and sexually assaulted/raped (81.5%). They victims had also experienced some form of physical violence (48%) and confinement/detention (37%).

According to Doras, refugees and migrants face various types of crimes, one being sexual violence. At any rate, many victims of sexual-based violence in Direct Provision will never report the incident. Although no data explains why most victims may not report an incident, a likely reason may be that it is embarrassing for victim. They may even fear authorities will not believe them or, may feel that complaining will invite further reprisal from their aggressor.

No Privacy for Women in Dublin ESB Building. Why is it Important?

Privacy International states privacy is an essential way humans seek to protect themselves and society against arbitrary and unjustified use of power, by reducing what can be known about them and done to them, while protecting them from others who may wish to exert control. Although Privacy International’s reasoning on privacy is directly related to technology, one would agree that its reasoning coheres with the concern of bodily privacy.

It’s uncertain as to whether anyone within the centre would climb into the room through the open-ceiling. It does, however, appear to be disconcerting issue for the woman.

While some would disagree jail is comparable to the space, there may be consensus that open-ceilings may not provide privacy as one would expect.

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