More than 90 complaints have been made to Waterways Ireland about fencing erected along Dublin’s Grand Canal to prevent asylum seekers and homeless people camping in the area.
The organisation confirmed on Wednesday that 88 “informal complaints” and three “formal complaints” had been made to Waterways Ireland since the fencing was erected in May.
Last week, Waterways Ireland told The Irish Times it had “not received any formal complaints regarding the fencing”. However, the organisation was questioned again on the matter after a local resident contacted The Irish Times with proof of a complaint he had made via email about the fencing.
Asked to clarify the discrepancy, a spokeswoman for the organisation explained that when a member of the public submits a complaint in a writing, it is considered as an “informal complaint” in the first instance, under Waterways Ireland’s Customer Complaints Procedure.
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If the complainant is unhappy with the response from Waterways Ireland, which they receive within 20 working days, they can make a second “formal complaint” in writing, said the spokeswoman.
“In this instance, a report on the matter is developed and considered and a response is issued as soon as possible and within 20 working days of receipt,” she said.
The Waterways Ireland fencing, which stretches from Grand Canal Street near the Google office, to Windsor Terrace in Portobello, started going up in late May after more than 100 asylum seekers were evicted from a camp on the banks of the water. Some of the fencing was temporarily pulled down in mid-July following a protest, but was quickly reinstated by gardaí.
The all-island waterways organisation pays around €30,000 per week on “maintaining” the fencing and has acknowledged that the use of these barriers along a public amenity “is not ideal, but it is necessary to mitigate risk to health and safety, which is our over-riding concern”.
The organisation says it has met representatives from the local communities to discuss how the canal amenity can be “fully reopened, without compromising health and safety, or public health”, said the body.
The Take Back Our Spaces Coalition, which held a protest beside the canal in mid-July and who have described the fencing as “exclusionary, racist and classist”, will hold a second protest outside the Department of Integration on Baggot Street this Saturday, August 17th.
The group warned in a letter to Government last week that fencing was being used to “weaponise the immigration issue” and “divide working-class communities”.
The Coalition, which includes members of the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU), Social Rights Ireland, Queer Intifada and People Before Profit, has called for a “humane and constructive solution” and warned that “installing hostile architecture of fencing” continues to exclude everyone from enjoying the public space along the canal.
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