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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Dan Grennan

A hundred more refugees moved into East Wall office block

As many as 100 more refugees is are being moved into the controversial East Wall refugee centre tonight.

The East Wall migrant centre in the former ESB office block has been the focus of a controversial protest which has resulted in the Port Tunnel and major arteries in the city centre being blocked off. There was already around 260 residents at the centre.

The East Wall Committee are calling for the centre to be shut down because it is "intolerable" and "inappropriate". However, local residents previously told Dublin Live they were "embarrassed" by the protest which many claim has been infiltrated by far right elements.

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Refugees that spoke to Dublin Live on condition of anonymity have seen new rooms being prepared for new arrivals. They said the centre could not take any more people as it was already "overcrowded".

A resident of the East Wall centre said: "All of them come from Citywest. I don't know if they all are families but I saw a lot of women and men and children.

"There are a lot of people but there are no places to sit and to eat. Now, everybody is coming and they told me that more are coming.

"The situation is very, very bad."

Local TD Gary Gannon criticised the Government for moving more refugees into an already cramped centre. He said: "I think this is entirely the wrong decision.

"This is not about stopping people coming into the centre at East Wall. It is far from it. It is about ensuring the people who are already there are protected and safe - there is no suggestion at all that the people coming in will make that otherwise.

"Having 360 people in a formerly abandoned building which was not suitable already is an abdication of responsibility of the Department and the International Protection system.

"For the Minister to railroad a hundred more people into a centre which is already at capacity and struggling to meet the needs of the people there is horrendous."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Integration previously told Dublin Live: "The IPAS accommodation centre at East Wall - Two Gateway – now has 263 residents. This is comprised of 119 family members, 30 couples, 34 single females and 80 single males."

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