Last year, about €800,000 was spent on patrols, fencing, and cleanup to deal with the encampments of asylum seekers along the Grand Canal, reports RTE.
Waterways Ireland acknowledged that their 2024 bills were €790,769, of which €566,718 was spent on fence.
After being transferred from a contentious ‘tented village’ next to the International Protection Office on Mount Street, which handles claims for international protection, asylum seekers frequently camp out beside the canal in Dublin, reports RTE.
According to Waterways Ireland, €128,881 was paid for patrols, and an additional €95,170 was spent on tent removal operations.
Following an earlier eradication operation, these patrols started in September in an attempt to prevent new encampments from being established along the canal’s banks, reports RTE.
Last year, there was controversy around tents beside the river, when far-right agitators frequently mistreated asylum seekers.
Long sections of fence were particularly controversial because some said they blocked walkers’ and visitors’ access to the canal.
According to Waterways Ireland, they were put in a challenging position where their “over-riding concern” was always the wellbeing and security of the campers, reports RTE.
A spokeswoman stated: “The canal is a wonderful amenity for responsible recreational use – it is not a safe place to sleep,” reports RTE.
There was a significant risk of people slipping into the water, according to the public organisation that oversees the maintenance of canals both north and south of the border.
“[It] can be deceptively dangerous, with deep water in places [and] up to 800mm of sediment on the bottom of the canal, and steep slopes,” reports RTE.
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