Irish police dismantled approximately 200 tents housing asylum seekers in Dublin early on Wednesday, 1 May. A camp had been set up near government buildings in the Mount Street area. The government said the asylum seekers had been moved to sites south of Dublin with weather-proof tents, showers, food, and security. Simon Harris said it was important they did not return, adding: “We do not live in a country where makeshift shantytowns are allowed to just develop.” As tents were removed, footpaths were cleaned with power hoses and the smell of disinfectant hung in the air.