More Fianna Fáil councillors breaking ranks over government refugee policies

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the comments that the 'inn is full' for those seeking refuge here were 'completely unacceptable'.

More Fianna Fáil councillors are breaking ranks over government immigration and refugee policies as leader Micheál Martin vows to crack down on incendiary language used by party representatives.

Fianna Fáil Cork County Councillor William O’Leary has slammed people who buy and rent buildings for refugee accommodation as “worse than the English landlords of decades ago” and “as bad as any drug cartel".

"They are the biggest traitors out of everyone," Cllr O’Leary said to loud applause at a protest against 56 asylum seekers moving into a former B&B in Fermoy, Co Cork, on Monday night.

"They can go about playing the big hard men, talking about the big bucks they’re making but they want to realise the damage they are doing to these towns," Mr O'Leary added.

"Government has a lot to answer for but these people are the biggest traitors out of everyone, the way they are selling out communities."

Yesterday, Mr O'Leary said that if Fianna Fáil was “blaming councillors for breaking ranks then they've lost sight of what's actually going on".

“Maybe it's their own policy they should be looking at," he said.

Two other Fianna Fáil councillors have been reprimanded for comments about asylum seekers following a fire at Ross Lake House Hotel in Co Galway, which was due to accommodate 70 international protection applicants.

Cllr Séamus Walsh blamed the Government's policies for the fire and Cllr Noel Thomas said the “inn is full” and Ireland should not be taking more asylum seekers.

Noel Thomas: 'I'm much more entitled to my place in the Fianna Fail party than the likes of Micheál Martin'

On Wednesday, Mr Thomas has said that he has had no communication from the party about disciplinary action or an investigation into his comments about plans to accommodate asylum seekers at the Ross Lake Hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway.

He told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland that the only information he had received about such action was via the media. 

He said his last communication with the Tánaiste had been on Sunday night when they had a long conversation.

“What we wanted to clarify was, was whether I had condemned the actions of the building being burned that night. And they stated very clearly that, of course, I had. 

"Actually what I said was any sane person, of course, that's all they could do, was condemn the actions that happened that night, and then it went from there.

Basically, I said I'm not happy with what he Micheal Martin is doing to this country at the moment. And he stated he was not happy with what I was saying to that. 

"That was the gist of the conversation.” 

Cllr Thomas said he had received “zero communication” from Fianna Fail since that conversation. 

He also repeated his concern about “cramming” four people into a room in a hotel that was not in an urban setting, saying this was inhumane and did not provide a way for people to integrate into the community.

“So when I say the inn is full, it is full because of irresponsible open border policies that this government have had in place."

Cllr Thomas also dismissed comments from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris about the lack of communication with An Garda Síochána about plans to accommodate asylum seekers at the Ross Lake Hotel. 

“His own members don’t have much faith in him.” 

Mr Thomas said the leaders of the country had a legal obligation to “look after our country first” he said when asked about Ireland’s obligations under international rules and regulations to care for asylum seekers.

When asked if he was going to stay in the Fianna Fail party, Cllr Thomas said he hoped so. 

To be honest with you, I think I am much more entitled to my place in the Fianna Fail party than the likes of Micheál Martin is.

Gardai investigate fire at the Ross Lake House Hotel, which had been due to accommodate asylum seeks. Picture: MWI

On Tuesday, the Tánaiste said the comments that the "inn is full" for those seeking refuge here were "completely unacceptable".

"There was room in the inn," the Tánaiste said.

"There was a facility that was empty and that would have been in a position to take people in."

Mr Martin said he "took strong issue with the nuance and implications of what was said" by local representatives from his party in the wake of the arson attack on a hotel earmarked for asylum seekers in Co Galway.

"Nobody can take the law into their own hands.

"Blockading is wrong. Physically destroying buildings is a crime."

However, Mr Martin said there are "no easy answers" and he accepts that there are growing concerns.

"There is a broader concern and people are worried about capacity and so on. But we have to be very clear about the fundamental principles and the philosophy (of offering refuge)."

Mr Martin said the Government has a role in terms of "communicating those basic principles to the public and working with people, and engaging with people in the sector, about the broader question of migration".