Ross Lake hotel fire: Protest against housing refugees ends in intentional blaze
2:17 PM EST, December 18, 2023
The owners of the Ross Lake House, a historic site that has been vacant for several years, recently signed a contract with the government to provide accommodation to asylum seekers for a year. This proposition drew strong opposition from a group of residents who congregated outside the building on Saturday afternoon and decided to block the entrance to the hotel.
The fire erupted just hours later at the back of the property. By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had consumed a significant section of the 13-room building. As reported by the "Daily Mail", police confirmed the cause of the fire as arson.
Roderic O'Gorman, the Minister for Integration, decried the incident, calling the arson of a refuge for asylum seekers "a disgrace." He took to social media to express that all politicians should adopt a similar stance.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee echoed this sentiment, declaring that there is no justification for such an act. She stated, "There is no excuse for arson. People have the right to protest, but they do not have the right to damage property, incite fear for safety, or disrupt public order."
Anger over Galway hotel fire in Ireland: "It's a disgraceful act."
An opposing viewpoint was voiced by Ruth Coppinger, an Irish politician from the Socialist Party. "People need to stop using hollow phrases like 'we are better' and 'you can't be racist and Irish.' You are negating pervasive and historic racism because you would rather imagine that it's an anomaly. But there's nothing unusual about Irish racism,” she argued.
Pauline O'Reilly, a senator from the Green Party, previously expressed on the RTÉ Radio One program, "I do not believe this incident represents the residents of Galway. It's unacceptable to barricade a place and make people feel unwelcome when they are legally being housed there."
The senator suggested it should not be allowed to discriminate against individuals, and inciting fear of immigrants is despicable. She cautioned, "The incitement to fear by local politicians and the complete silence from high-ranking politicians in this region, the government, and the opposition may lead to even greater losses. I urge everyone to condemn these kinds of behaviors because they are utterly unacceptable in our community."
The increasingly swift pace of immigration is beginning to be acknowledged as a societal issue in Ireland. At the end of November, Dublin experienced anti-immigrant riots after three children and a teacher were assaulted by an individual wielding a knife on the street.
