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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Dan Grennan

Gardai investigate criminal damage to hostel housing refugees as hate 'rises'

Gardai have launched an investigation after a city centre hostel housing refugees was damaged.

Far right groups were criticising the hostel on Parnell Street after a video of men arriving at it was circulated online. The damage occurred a day later.

A number of the hostel's windows were damaged by a hooded man with a hammer just after 10pm on Saturday night. A garda spokesman said: "Gardai are investigating an incident of criminal damage that occurred at a commercial premises on Parnell St, Dublin at approximately 10:10pm on Sunday January 8, 2023. Enquiries are ongoing."

Read more: Ballymun refugee protests slammed as 'frustrating' and 'embarrassing' by Lord Mayor

It comes as a co-founder of the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland said hateful rhetoric against refugees is "rising" as more protests take place across the city.

Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, MASI co-founder Lucky Khambule said: "It is rising, it is continuing, it is organised and is moving from one place to another. It is good that there are lots of words of condemnation from leaders.

"We want to see that, but we want to see an end to it because it is escalating," Lucky Khambule added. There has been a growing number of protests against asylum seeker centres - including in East Wall, at a school in Drimnagh and in Ballymun.

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien previously said the scenes from anti-refugee protests in Ballymun were "disturbing". Mr Khambule has been speaking to residents of the Travel Lodge in Ballymun before the protest took place.

He said: "What we said to them was they need to stay safe and stay indoors, but it became an issue for people who are not in the hotel by the time the protest starts because how do they get in? They don't know how long that protest is going to be.

"During the protest, because I was there, listening to those chants from the people. The way people were scared... they had to switch off the lights and just peep through the windows to see what was going on.

He added: "This sense that I get is the fear and confusion as to why this is directed to them. What is it they have done? What are the grievances of the people who are protesting?

"What surprised me was the evident children that were in the protest, I'd say 12-13 years old, in that protest, and it just becomes chaotic. Yes the guards were there, but from my observation, nobody cares about us."

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