Rock thrown through window of councillor’s home with warning to ‘stop supporting refugees’

Vivienne Clarke

The Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Councillor Denis O’Callaghan has condemned the attack on the home of Independent councillor Hugh Lewis in which a rock was thrown through a window with a warning note to “stop supporting refugees".

Cllr O’Callaghan told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that while Cllr Lewis does not live at the address, his 78-year-old father does, and he was alone in the house at the time of the incident.

“I know the man personally. He's a constituent of mine. And I can only imagine the trauma that he went through from that incident. And I want to send him my best wishes and hope that he can recover from it and put the unsavoury incident behind him in time.

“I want to unreservedly condemn this particular attack on the home of an elected public representative.”

Cllr O’Callaghan said that an attack on a public representative who represented their local community was an attack on that community.

He said he understood that public representatives were open to criticism, but the attack on the family home of a public representative because of his support for refugees and asylum seekers and those fleeing war and persecution was unacceptable to him.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Council had been “very clear” in its unanimous support for asylum seekers and migrants staying in the area, he said. Last December the local authority passed a motion unanimously, which has become the mission statement, “affirming support and solidarity with those seeking refuge in our county".

When asked about an incident at a commercial property in the Ballybrack area where there was a claim that it was going to be used to house asylum seekers, Cllr O'Callaghan said: “I am not aware of any imminent proposals to house refugees and asylum seekers in that building. Normally when accommodation like that is imminent, the local elected councillors would be briefed on the situation and that did not happen.”

It was worrying that there had been an escalation in protests in relation to accommodation, added Cllr O’Callaghan who thanked the people of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown for welcoming refugees and asylum seekers and the volunteers who give of their time to work beside the various agencies. “We appreciate that.”