Row breaks out at protest over Government plans to buy CityWest Hotel
By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
A row erupted between TD Paul Gogarty, two councillors and protesters demonstrating outside the Dáil over Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel.
The State is to buy the Citywest Hotel to be used as part of the country’s immigration system, according to the Business Post.
Around two dozen protesters gathered outside Leinster House on Wednesday holding signs that read “Public consultation, not secret conversation” and “Save Citywest Hotel from being purchased by our Government”.
Locals who protested raised concerns about losing a significant amenity in the area.
Dublin city councillors Malachy Steenson and Gavin Pepper, who do not represent the electoral area Citywest is located in, were also seen at the protest.
As Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West Paul Gogarty addressed the crowd by megaphone, a row broke out between protesters, Mr Gogarty, Mr Steenson and Mr Pepper.
Asked whether there was some confusion over how his comments had been taken, Mr Gogarty said “maybe one or two people jumped the gun there”.
“But I felt it was important to say what I stand for first of all, which is respect towards everyone whether or not they are economic migrants abusing the asylum system, genuine people fleeing persecution or IT professionals coming to this country.”
Bernie Cronin, from Clondalkin, said 200 people attended a meeting two weeks ago where concerns were raised about the Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel.
Mr Cronin, who is a former member of Fine Gael and a current member of Independent Ireland, said it has been the area’s “greatest amenity” for 40 years.
“If the Government buys it, it will never come back to the people of Saggart and the surrounding districts as the superb and magnificent luxury hotel that it has been for 40 years,” he said.
He said locals have “no concern” about its current use as an IPAS centre for housing asylum seekers.
Mr Cronin said there have been concerns by the group that others could “hijack what we are trying to do”.
Asked about ‘outside elements’ at the protest, Mr Cronin said: “They don’t help us. They don’t help us and I know that’s a concern.”
“It’s not a question about race, it’s about space,” Saggart resident Susan Murphy said.
“We don’t have the space, we have two shops, one chemist, one post office, no Garda station. We cannot accommodate groups and groups of people.
“If the Government buys Citywest Hotel, they have free rein to do whatever they want with all the land there, which isn’t fair on the residents here.
Another local, Karen Tracey, said the village was already “overwhelmed” and it was difficult to get a GP appointment or school place.
“Within a five-minute walk within the hotel, there’s about 8,000 new homes, not all of them have been occupied just yet and when they are occupied you can imagine how overwhelmed we’ll be without this.”
