(Dublin) Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Sunday condemned the alleged “arson” of a hotel which was to accommodate asylum seekers near Galway, saying there is “no justification for violence” .
A fire broke out at around 11:35 p.m. on Saturday evening at the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill, County Galway (west). The Irish police, who opened an investigation, spoke of a “criminal incident”.
This hotel, out of use for years, was to accommodate around 70 asylum seekers in the coming days. Demonstrators opposing its opening had already blocked the entrance to the hotel during the day on Saturday to protest.
“I am deeply concerned […] by this alleged criminal damage to a number of properties across the country intended to accommodate people seeking international protection, including in County Galway last night,” Leo Varadkar said in a statement.
“Nothing justifies violence, arson or vandalism in our Republic. Never,” he said.
The Irish Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, described this incident as “deeply worrying”.
“Politicians on all sides should condemn this shameful act and the fear-mongering comments that motivated it,” he said.
The director general of the NGO Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, called for a “thorough investigation”, saying that there was now “a recurring pattern of arson” in places hosting asylum seekers and refugees.
Their accommodation has become a particularly sensitive subject in Ireland in recent months. This country of five million inhabitants has seen 101,200 people arrive on its soil from Ukraine, of whom 74,500 are hosted by the State.
A lack of affordable housing and a cost-of-living crisis have fueled resentment against newcomers.
At the end of November, the city of Dublin was shaken by unprecedented riots, which the authorities blamed on far-right agitators, after a knife attack which left four people injured, including three children.
The government notably blamed the spread of rumors on social networks, with some Internet users claiming that the attacker was an “illegal immigrant” or an “Algerian national”.
Ireland, which had already expressed its difficulties in housing all asylum seekers for the winter, announced on Tuesday a reduction in support provided to Ukrainians fleeing the war.