Residents living in East Wall are calling for an end to anti-refugee protests after another night of rush-hour disruption for motorists.
crowd of protesters gathered outside the old ESB building in East Wall around 5pm yesterday, blocking the road and leading to the temporary closure of the Port Tunnel.
Cars and buses stood at a standstill while the tunnel was closed from 6pm for 45 minutes “due to protests on East Wall”, said Dublin Port Tunnel.
“Some road closures were put in place while the event was held,” a garda statement said. No arrests were reported.
Local residents are now calling for a stop to weeks of protests and said a failure in government policies is to blame for the “polarising opinion” and division created in the community.
A letter by local residents said: “Given the current population of East Wall, the comparatively small numbers attending protest events are not representative of the area as a whole.
“The protests have failed to achieve anything positive for local residents,” it added.
The residents said they “condemn unreservedly” the actions of the Department of Integration and Minister Roderic O’Gorman for a “failure to engage with our community or provide accurate information”.
“Having spoken to many residents, it is clear to us that there is real anger towards Government policies, the ongoing failures in addressing housing and homelessness issues, the health service, the impact of the economic crises,” the group said.
“None of these issues can be addressed by the current protests.”
The letter also stated that the community “emphathises” with the residents of the Lighthouse Apartments, which are adjacent to the old ESB building used to house asylum seekers.
However, the residents added that “outside interests” coming into East Wall have created divisions in the community, causing “suspicion and resentment” between neighbours and friends.
“We are calling for the protests to come to an immediate end and we welcome all members of the community to join in constructive dialogue,” the statement said.
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