Ireland is putting asylum seekers up in plush hotel accommodation with a leisure centre and golf course, the President of the right-wing Irish Freedom Party has claimed.
Hermann Kelly also accused Taoiseach Simon Harris’s government of launching “Robocop” attacks on local people concerned about “tent villages” which have sprung up across Dublin after an influx of migrants.
Mr Kelly was speaking the day before Mr Harris, who only replaced Leo Varadkar in the top job last month, travelled to Northern Ireland for his first official meetings with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.
His visit comes at the end of a week which has seen behind-the-scenes wrangling after the Irish Government’s implicit criticism of Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda legislation, which Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has implied is driving asylum seekers across the border into the Republic.
At least 285 people have been removed from a makeshift migrant camp in Dublin city centre following a multi-agency operation on Wednesday.
Several asylum seekers were reportedly refused accommodation at a major centre in Dublin afterwards.
But Mr Kelly claimed many were being put up in hotels, describing the facilities at one of them as “unbelievable”.
He told GB News’s Martin Daubney, Mr Kelly said: “I actually visited a hotel yesterday, and it was unbelievable the facilities that these people have.
“They find themselves in the City West hotel. I believe it is 1200 beds. It is actually the biggest hotel in Dublin, it’s very salubrious.
“I walked around it; they had a golf course which is only for residents. They have large pools, the rooms are fantastic. There is a leisure centre and a swimming pool.
“So Irish people are paying for this and yet they’re not allowed to use these facilities. Therefore, all the people who come in from around the world; Somalia, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, wherever, and they are treated like kings, they get free welfare, free medical care, free accommodation.
“At the same time, Irish people are means tested for all this welfare.”
Mr Kelly further alleged the hotel was being used by “Ukrainian refugees” adding: “There were very large Ukrainian SUVs in the car park.
“And let me tell you about a scheme that they have in Ireland at the minute. It’s called ARP – Accommodation Recognition Payment, where Ukrainians get 800 Euro, tax free, to give to an Irish landlord, whereas an Irish person would have to pay 800 Euro to the same law landlord and that would be taxed.
“So if you’re an Irish landlord letting out an apartment, of course, you’re going to take that as, of course you’re going to take the Ukrainian. We believe it’s discriminatory against Irish people.”
There was also a “new scheme that seemingly the Irish government is now going to spend a lot more taxpayers money to buy up dilapidated houses to give to asylum seekers”, he continued.
Mr Kelly stressed: “So that means the Irish state will be using taxpayers money to compete in the housing market against Irish taxpayers.”
Referring to demonstrators voicing their concerns about the makeshift camps in the Irish capital, he added: “The Irish government doesn’t give a damn about protecting the Irish people, Irish sovereignty or Irish territory.
“The Irish government just last week sent the police force the garda to pretty much beat up local people who were very concerned about the security and safety of their local area.
“And we saw scenes which were unheard of in Ireland over the last number of decades post The Troubles; it was like Robocop and they really beat into local people who all they wanted to do was voice concerns and say that they didn’t want large numbers of unvetted males planted in their area because they had grave concerns about the security of their community.”
During the debate which followed the 2016 Brexit referendum, the Irish Government had “demanded on open border”, eurosceptic Mr Kelly pointed out.
Referring to Ireland’s Justice Minister, he said: “The problem with the Irish state is they seemingly have no functioning deportation system in Ireland at the minute. Last week it came out from Helen McEntee that 7300 people were supposed to be deported.
“Less than 100, since 2023, have been deported. So, it’s very clear there’s no functioning deportation centre, and anybody who reaches the island of Ireland can come in and they get loads of free stuff.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the Irish Government for comment.
