Gardaí believe Galway hotel fire the work of local opposed to immigration

The fire which gutted much of a historic Galway hotel earmarked for asylum seeker accommodation was the work of a local person, gardaí believe.

The blaze, which broke out at the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill, near Oughterard, on Saturday night is being treated by gardaí as arson.

The 13 bedroom house, which is in private ownership, was the site of protests last week following an announcement it was to be used for temporary accommodation for 70 asylum seekers, including some who have been forced to sleep rough due to a lack of beds.

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The building will now be assessed by the Department of Integration to determine when, if ever, it can be used for accommodation. Much of the back portion of the building, a single-story section which is much newer than the rest of the building, is destroyed, sources said.

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There is also significant water and smoke damage to the rest of the building which dates to 1860. Sources said it is highly unlikely the building will be suitable for accommodation in the short to medium term.

Investigations are at an early stage but initial indications are the fire was started by a local person or group of people angry with the accommodation of asylum seekers at the hotel, sources said.

Gardaí said there is, as of now, no indication the fire was started by an outside person or group linked to right-wing extremism.

However, they noted that, while the majority of protesters blockading the hotel before the fire were locals, members of the far-right, including those from the National Party, have been campaigning in the area in opposition to immigration.

In recent months the party has also erected posters and distributed leaflets with the words “Turf them out” above a picture of a sod of burning turf on a pitchfork.

Meanwhile, controversial comments made by two Fianna Fáil councillors in Galway have been referred to the party’s internal rules and procedures committee.

One of the councillors, Séamus Walsh, suggested on Sunday that if the fire at the hotel was a criminal act it was prompted by the “senseless policy of the Government”.

The other councillor, Noel Thomas, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Monday that Ireland should not continue to accept people looking for asylum “because the inn is full”.

In response to the comments, a Fianna Fáil spokeswoman said: “We do not accept any equivocation in respect of any criminal acts and do not accept attempts or suggestions being made to equate migration with increased criminality. Comments made to that effect by any public representative are wrong and unacceptable.”

Mr Walsh told the Irish Times: “I would have to accept being thrown out of the party before I would accept going against my own community.”

Mr Walsh said he had condemned the fire at the hotel.

He said the Fianna Fáil review of his comments is “a bit rich” as he had “never received a satisfactory response” to major local issues relating to sewage, roads and planning which he had raised with the party.

Mr Thomas, who has said he does not condone what happened to the hotel, added that he was “astonished” to hear about the referral of his comments to the Fianna Fáil committee from the media. “You would imagine that Fianna Fáil would have come to me with this news before they would go to you with it; says it all,” he said.

He said he also wanted to “add some clarity” to his comment about the inn being full. “I stand by what I said but the reason it is full is because of the reckless open border policy our Government put in place.”

Elsewhere, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Republic needs to have an “open and honest debate” on migration but that it must “avoid anything that is othering or racist”.

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