Police Van Torched and Officer Injured as Crowd Clashes With Gardaí
Irish police arrested six people after a violent protest erupted outside a hotel housing asylum-seekers near Dublin, where rioters threw bricks, bottles, and fireworks at officers before setting a police van on fire, authorities said Wednesday. The incident marks the latest in a series of anti-immigration disturbances in Ireland over the past two years.
The Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police force, confirmed that one officer sustained a foot injury during the confrontation. Hundreds of demonstrators, many waving Irish tricolor flags, gathered Tuesday evening outside the CityWest Hotel in Saggart, following unconfirmed reports of a sexual assault in the area.
Violence Erupts Outside CityWest Hotel
According to police, the situation escalated when sections of the crowd began attacking officers guarding the entrance to the hotel, which currently houses migrants and asylum-seekers under a state accommodation program. Some rioters reportedly attempted to ram the police line using horse-drawn carts. Officers responded with pepper spray as they tried to disperse the crowd and restore order.
Videos posted on social media showed flames engulfing a Garda van while fireworks exploded nearby. Witnesses described a tense scene as police reinforcements arrived and protesters chanted anti-immigration slogans.
Officials Condemn “Mob Intent on Violence”
Police Commissioner Justin Kelly condemned the unrest, calling the attackers “a mob intent on violence” and labeling their actions “sheer thuggery.” He vowed that investigators would identify and prosecute anyone involved in the attacks.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin also denounced the violence, saying there was “no justification” for such behavior. “Everyone in Ireland has the right to express themselves peacefully, but this was not protest — this was criminality,” Martin said.
Rise of Anti-Immigration Protests Across Ireland
The CityWest riot adds to growing tensions surrounding migrant accommodation sites in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Britain. Protests near hotels housing asylum-seekers have become increasingly common, often fueled by misinformation, local crime rumors, and online agitation by far-right activists.
In November 2023, central Dublin witnessed its worst civil unrest in decades when anti-immigrant demonstrators looted shops, torched vehicles, and hurled rocks at police after three young children were stabbed outside a school. That riot shocked the country and prompted widespread debate about the spread of xenophobic rhetoric and disinformation online.
Authorities have warned that extremist groups are attempting to exploit isolated incidents to stir broader hostility toward migrants. The Irish government continues to face pressure over housing shortages and the accommodation of asylum-seekers amid a record influx of arrivals over the past year.
