Violent clashes at a site designated to house asylum seekers in north Dublin were described as “reprehensible” by the taoiseach, after at least 15 people were arrested.
“No person has a right to burn cars, damage property or attack members of An Garda Síochána and emergency services,” Simon Harris said on Monday.
“These actions are criminal and are designed to sow fear and division. We should not accept them being legitimised in any way by describing them as ‘protest’.”
The clashes are the latest at sites earmarked for asylum seekers, who have arrived in Ireland in growing numbers in recent years. Videos posted on social media showed machinery and construction materials on fire at the site, a former paint factory in the north of the capital.
The rioters threw bricks and launched fireworks at police, who used pepper spray to disperse the crowd of more than 100. One video showed a person, believed to be a security guard at the site, being removed from the scene on a stretcher. The site is due to be repurposed as an accommodation facility for up to 500 asylum seekers.
Videos on social media also showed a standoff between gardaí and rioters, while some demonstrators shouted abuse at officers. Masked men and youths were also at the site, while a man with a megaphone told the crowd the government was going to “change the constitution”.
The violence escalated as bricks and fireworks were thrown at officers and the fire service, and bins and mattresses were set alight.
Gardaí have charged 15 people in relation to public order incidents. They were due to appear before a special sitting of the criminal courts of justice in Dublin on Monday evening. A garda spokesperson said officers remained at the scene of a “serious public order incident”.
The violence was sparked by a provider attempting to start work, said the ministry, which is responsible for housing asylum seekers. “The [ministry] condemns all acts of criminality and intimidation of providers and their employees.”
Ireland’s justice minister, Helen McEntee, told the Irish Times she was “appalled” by the scenes and that those involved would face the “full rigours of the law”.
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Since 2022, there has been a sharp increase in arson attacks on properties around the country linked to accommodating asylum seekers.
During violent riots in Dublin last November, which were sparked by unrest over increased immigration and ignited by a knife attack outside a school, rioters also targeted properties used to house asylum seekers.
Additional reporting by PA Media and AFP