GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING after a woman reported that she was forced to remove her hijab by men at a protest camp outside of a centre that has been housing Ukrainians and international protection applicants.

The woman was herself once a resident at the Avon Resort in Blessington, Co Wicklow.

She was visiting a friend who lives there on Saturday 19 July, when she says she was stopped by four men at an encampment-style protest that has been ongoing for the last month.

The woman said she was asked to remove her hijab to prove that she “was not a man”, according to a volunteer who has supported her in the aftermath of the incident.

She said that as she was alone, she felt too scared to pull her phone out to call for help, and was “forced to comply” with the request.

She was left shaken and upset following the incident.

A garda spokesperson told The Journal that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

“Gardaí are investigating an alleged incident of public order that occurred at a premises in Blessington, Co. Wicklow at approximately 4:30pm on Saturday 19th July,” the spokesperson said.

A member of the Blessington Welcomes group was asked to accompany the woman to the local garda station in the area on the following Wednesday, when she filed a complaint of harassment.

A spokesperson for the group said that a female member of An Garda Síochana was “very supportive” of the woman during the complaints process.

They added that the woman was left “very distressed” by the incident.

“Some people have cars and are able to drive in and out of the entrance of the Avon, but for others who don’t, every time they need to get groceries or to pick up their kids, they are confronted by this round-the-clock protest, and it’s extremely difficult for them,” they said.

Phil Evans, a local man who often walks past the resort, told The Journal that he also made a report to the Gardaí after “homophobic slurs” were made towards him by men who were at the protest camp.

“I passed the camp around three weeks ago and I read signs that protestors had up, and I was pretty disturbed by them. They associated asylum seekers with crime. I asked a man at the camp if he was local, and he said he was, and he asked me what I thought of the camp.

“I told him I thought it was pretty terrible, and he was surprised and asked me why, and I explained that I live locally and I work in theatre, and we have done some projects with people living in IPAS centres.

“He became aggressive towards me and started shouting homophobic slurs at me and threatening violence. As I was walking away two other men began to shout at me too. I decided to report the incident because I was worried about other who have to walk past and, and those who have to go in,” Evans said. 

Sinn Féin TD John Brady said in May that the Avon Hotel would no longer be used to house Ukrainians and could instead be used to house international protection applicants. 

He said that he understood that the hotel was being offered to provide accommodation to asylum seekers under an agreement with a two year duration.

He called for a halt to any decision to change the use of the hotel.