'Inhumane' conditions for Ukrainians in Laois tents as Storm Agnes bears down

A Laois councillor has warned about the 'inhumane' conditions at the Ukrainian refugee camp on the site of the Electric Picnic festival in Stradbally as Storm Agnes is set to hit the county. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said the rain is coming into the tents and the conditions are unsuitable at the Stradbally campsite. She claimed “three tents blew down” in the last high winds and some refugees had bought pop up tents to put in their tents. 

She obtained images of the water pooling at site and of water inside tents. She said the images were taken in recent days.  The advent of Storm Agnes is likely to worsen conditions for the refugees staying in tents in Stradbally.  

Cllr Moran demanded to know whether Tusla or the Department of Children had seen the conditions. She said some of the children had been sick due to the cold and wet conditions.

“It is inhumane having people in tents. It is scandalous,” said Cllr Moran. 

She said portaloos had cable ties placed around the handles when they were full. Cllr Moran claimed she was not being admitted to the site as a public representative and some of those inside were told to delete videos. 

Cllr Moran said some of the people are being moved from the tents to sports halls around the country. 

“I think us as public representatives we should be allowed to walk in there,”  said Cllr Moran. 

Pictured above: An image from the site obtained by Cllr Moran

“We have set the bar so low now. Farming of human beings is now a business and it is quite a lucrative business,” she claimed. 

“We should bring in as many people as we can look after and look after them to the best of our ability,” said Cllr Moran as she insisted tents were not a solution. 

Pictured above: An image of the refugee camp obtained by Cllr Moran

She said the Department had “shown a lack of respect” to Laois County Council by moving people into tents in Laois without consultation. 

Fianna Fail Cllr Paschal McEvoy said the community in Stradbally was doing everything it could to assist the refugees. He said it was unfair to suggest that they are not being looked after. 

“I don’t agree that they should be there. I don’t think it is fit for purpose,” he said. 

However, he said the community had come together and were going in to the camp every day with clothes to help the people. 

“Heating has been put into the tents last Friday,” he said. 

He said the outpouring of generosity from people following an appeal for clothes was so great that they had to call it off as they received too much. 

“I certainly don’t agree with you that they are not being looked after,” he said to Cllr Moran. 

“I will accept 100 percent that they should not be there,” Cllr McEvoy said. 

Pictured above: Images of water in a tent and on the ground at the refugee camp on the Electric Picnic site in Stradbally.

Cllr Moran said she never suggested the people of Stradbally weren’t helping out.

“I think it is important that we stand up together and say this can’t happen again,” Cllr Moran added. 

Fine Gael Cllr Willie Aird asked A/Director of Services for the Ukrainian Response, Carmel McNicholl about the site.

He said if there was an emergency at the site he would expect Ms McNicholl would report it immediately to Chief Executive Officer John Mulholland who would in turn inform public representatives. 

Ms McNicholl said as of last Friday there were 375 people in the refugee camp at the Electric Picnic site. 

“The figure there has never gone over 500,” she told the meeting. 

Ms McNicholl acknowledged the fact that the Department had said up to 750 people might be placed on the Electric Picnic campsite, the Department hopes it never reaches that level. 

She said more than 100 people have already left the site and there will  be more leaving every day this week.  

Ms McNicholl said the people who arrived first are leaving first in order to keep their stay to the “absolute minimum” amount of time possible. 

Fianna Fail Cllr Padraig Fleming said he was delighted to hear of the positive work being undertaken by the community in Stradbally. 

Cllr McEvoy said between St Vincent de Paul, Laois Integration and the community there was a lot of good work going on behind the scenes. 

“There is nothing positive about being in a tent in this weather,” said Independent Cllr James Kelly. 

The matter was raised in a motion by Cllr Moran. She had asked: "That this Council calls on the HSE and Minister Roderic O' Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth of Ireland to engage with the public representatives and the community in Stradbally, to allay any concerns around the safety measures of the Ukrainian refugees, in particular the safety of women and children on the site in Stradbally."

Her motion was seconded by Cllr Kelly at the meeting in Portlaoise on Monday.