More than 200 asylum seekers at the Knockalisheen accommodation centre on the Limerick/Clare border yesterday began a two- day hunger strike over the "appalling" living conditions at the former Army barracks.
Serwan Tabhri from Iran said: "People outside the walls of Knockalisheen don't know how we live. It's a prison. Animals should live here, not humans. It should be destroyed. The minds of the managers are not open to us."
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform says it is monitoring the situation and has begun talks with the residents and management in an attempt to ease tensions.
However, a spokesperson for the department questioned the validity of the hunger strike and rejected claims that the centre is overcrowded.
The 270 asylum seekers at the Meelick centre in Co Clare are housed in six blocks, with as many as four people, including two children, housed in the same room. The centre can cater for 320 people at full capacity.
A statement to the Department of Justice lists a range of concerns including the management of the centre, meals, cleanliness and accommodation and claims the management has "bluntly refused any forum where these complaints could have been discussed and tackled".
A letter dated January 9th to the Department of Justice states: "In meals, we find foreign objects such as hair strands, broken plastic shards, rough particles of shells, especially in bean porridge, served."
It continues: "Only one toilet roll is given out once a week, which is not enough because before the week runs out it finishes. Then you are asked to wait till the next date of supply, which we find inconveniencing."
Doras Luimní, a support group for immigrant groups in Limerick, has backed the residents in their call for improved facilities but does not support the hunger strike as a means for securing better conditions.
Jumoke Oyewo said: "We do support them regarding their issues for good facilities and they do have a lot of issues, but we do not support them going on hunger strike."
Residents plan to travel to the Department of Justice and maintain the hunger strike outside the offices in Dublin if their demands are not met.