Occupants of Lefroy House given hours to vacate before gardaí can remove them

Occupants of Lefroy House in Dublin city centre have been given until Thursday morning to vacate the premises before gardaí can move to attach and bring before the High Court any adult still present.

Ms Justice Emily Egan said she had “no alternative” but to order the attachment of persons continuing to occupy the Salvation Army’s property on Eden Quay in defiance of previous court orders.

Having heard that a number of children had been observed entering the building, she made clear her orders applied only to adults.

Last month the Salvation Army secured a High Court injunction requiring persons to vacate and cease trespassing at the property, which it wants to convert into accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

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The building, for which the charity holds a long lease, had been operated as emergency accommodation for minors in crisis for many years until its closure early last year when funding ceased.

Renovation plans were scuppered after the building was allegedly broken into and occupied on May 1st by the Revolutionary Workers Union.

On Wednesday, Seán Doyle (72), who was last week added as a defendant to the proceedings alongside persons unknown, said he stands in court “not as the accused but as the accuser”.

Mr Doyle, who ran in the 2014 local elections in Wicklow for the Éirígí party, said the group who took over the building was reacting to the “the Free State’s wilful neglect” of its citizens. The needs of homeless people and children are less protected than property and the “greed of a few”, he said, adding that the occupants “will not let this go on”.

When asked if his views changed when he learned the premises had been earmarked for Ukrainian refugees, he said he was not “clairvoyant” and did not know its intended purpose when people first moved in. He did not want to “get into the semantics”, he said, adding that it was a suitable place that had been derelict.

Ms Justice Egan said it was a “very serious matter” to be before the court and asked Mr Doyle and any other occupants to reflect on whether their aims can be best achieved at this particular property.

When the court resumed Mr Doyle said his position had not changed and the group would continue to occupy the building, which they have renamed James Connolly House.

Ms Justice Emily Egan said she was satisfied there were continued acts of trespass at the premises and that some of the people on the property were aware of the court order.

The judge said the orders were a “last resort” and she appreciated they will cause difficulties for those in occupation and for gardaí tasked with entering.

However, she said: “High Court orders must be obeyed… Disobedience to court orders leads to the undermining of the administration of justice and the rule of law.”

Ms Justice Egan placed a stay on the execution of her orders until 10am on Thursday to give an opportunity for “as many people as possible to leave the property of their own accord”. Anyone left will be attached and brought before the court either to give a sworn undertaking not to breach the orders or to be committed to prison for contempt.