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The Journal
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Woman reports being forced to remove hijab at protest camp outside of refugee centre in Wicklow
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. Advertisement 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. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Wolverhampton community parkrun alters route due to popularity
A community parkrun in the West Midlands has become so popular it is changing its route to manage increasing directors have outlined a new course for Wolverhampton's weekly 5km (3.1 mile) run at West Park, which cuts out a narrow path that slows runners from 12 April, participants will complete three laps of the park in a clockwise direction, rather than anticlockwise, missing out the bottleneck altogether."In general people are for it, and they thank us for putting the effort in," said event co-director Phil Evans. He explained numbers at the Saturday event, which has been running in West Park since 2013, have been "slowly creeping up". A record 522 runners turned up on 1 February, the highest number since before the Covid pandemic in 2019."We get weeks when we get a splurge of people, and the overall trajectory is we increase numbers," Mr Evans said."There is a portion of the course that's quite narrow and can get congested. What we decided to do was reorganise the course and take that piece out."He said the new route, which will still start and finish at the bandstand, will involve a "longer, more gradual" uphill the change has been "very much a team effort", he added, involving liaising with parkrun headquarters and remeasuring the course. Most Facebook users welcomed the solution and said they were looking forward to trying the new route, while others suggested also trying staggered wrote: "You have no idea how happy this makes me. I used to run Wolves lots, but that corner congestion has made me look elsewhere, as I hate the bottleneck it causes."Another said: "Great idea. Also now gives visitors a nice view of the lake, which is one of my favourite features."
