Coole group meet officials from IP unit

As public protests in Coole enter their third week, International Protection (IP) asylum seekers are expected to arrive within days.

Locals have been protesting outside the proposed asylum centre in the village daily from 7pm and intend continuing to do so, even after the asylum seekers arrive.

Keith Thompson, chairman of the local action committee, told the Westmeath Examiner that, following the intervention of Deputy Robert Troy, they had met with Department of Integration liaison officers on Thursday – but that decisions had already been made.

“We were told that they were arriving and there was nothing we could do about it, the race was run already, before the horse bolted,” Mr Thompson said.

He pointed out that he had got on to local TDs and public representatives as early as last February and nothing was done.

He said they were told that families would be accommodated in Coole, but were given no breakdown of numbers or ages.

They were told the asylum seekers could be from Nigeria, Somalia, Albania, Georgia or Myanmar.

When they put it to the liaison officers that there was nothing for these people in Coole in terms of facilities, they were advised that this is a crisis and the government are only obliged to provide shelter.

“These people are coming thinking they are getting bright lights, but all they will get is one street light. What are they going to do?

“They can’t work. We have one shop, one post office, one GP, a hall and a chemist,” Mr Thompson said.

He said that if it is women and children that come to Coole seeking asylum, the local community will have no issue, but if it is all men, they will continue their protest.

“It will be like neighbourhood watch – we all look out for each other,” he said.

Mr Thompson acknowledged that Deputy Troy met local residents and arranged the meeting last Thursday with liaison officers from the IP unit.

Deputy Robert Troy

Deputy Troy confirmed to the Westmeath Examiner that he had met 40 or 50 local residents who wanted assurances that it would be families rather than single adult men who would be accommodated in Coole.

He said he contacted the department’s liaison office and relayed the community’s concerns and desire for information and a meeting with locals was organised.

Deputy Troy said the people of Coole have legitimate concerns, which he shares. He said the processing system is inefficient and too slow at up to two years to process asylum applications.

Applications should be dealt with efficiently and people with legitimate claims to asylum should be allowed to make a life for themselves here, he said.

Deputy Troy said that the Dublin Convention must be fully implemented to ensure that genuine asylum seekers, and not economic migrants, are accommodated.

Those who have been granted asylum in other countries must not be allowed to come “forum shopping” in Ireland. There are people playing the system, the Mullingar TD said.

Deputy Troy confirmed that the asylum seekers are likely to arrive in Coole in the coming week.

He said it was impossible to say what composition of families or nationalities would be arriving – however, he pointed out that arrangements had worked in other areas such as Temple Spa in Horseleap without any adverse effects on the community.