The Taoiseach has said no amount of community engagement could have prevented the public order incident that unfolded in Coolock in Dublin yesterday.
Violent disturbances broke out at the site of a proposed development for International Protection applicants after trucks and construction equipment were brought on site.
A security guard was injured, petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown, a digger was set on fire and two garda cars were damaged.
Speaking outside Government Buildings this morning, Simon Harris praised the “swift action” of gardaí in policing the incident and the subsequent late-night sittings of the courts.
The Taoiseach said what unfolded yesterday was the “hijacking of a situation” by a group of people who engaged in “utter thuggery” and was not reflective of the people in Coolock.
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Nineteen people were arrested, 15 of whom have been charged and have appeared in court. Four are due in court this afternoon.
The Department of Integration said work to convert the site of the former Crown Paints factory into accommodation for around 550 IP applicants had been delayed for several months.
However, Commissioner Drew Harris said the violence was intermittent throughout the day and was quickly brought under control.
A protest camp has been in place outside the former Crown Paints factory site since March.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the scenes in Coolock were “completely unacceptable” and “will not be tolerated”.
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Speaking outside Government Buildings, the minister said she expects “more arrests later on in the day”.
“Importantly, as well, bodycams were used yesterday and will be part of the evidence in the coming weeks and months,” she added.
The minister said plans to accommodate IP applicants at the Coolock site “will continue as set out”.
Regarding online discourse about the plan, she said: “Unfortunately we are in an era where misinformation, disinformation and discourse can spread online.”
Ms McEntee said Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman and his department “are engaging “with communities”.
“It has been known for sometime now that there would be men, women and children taking refuge in Coolock,” she said.
Independent councillor John Lyons said there was a lack of community engagement over the proposed site and accused the Government of handling the matter poorly.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he said a meeting with the Department of Integration’s community engagement team took place in April, with further meetings due to take place, but this did not happen.
Mr Lyons said he was told that “due to diary pressures”, the community engagement team were unavailable in mid-April and “since that point to yesterday, we’ve had no information.”
He said disinformation was a problem as “bad faith actors on the far right” deliberately spread lies to generate a fearful environment and that most people in Coolock were warm and welcoming and were shocked by yesterday’s events.
Fine Gael TD for Dublin Bay North Richard Bruton said what happened yesterday designed to “sow fear and division in the community.”
“I find it totally galling to see people flying our national flag and claiming to be protecting the local community because nothing could be further from the truth – like what patriot would condone this?”
Speaking on the same programme, Mr Bruton said it was unfair to insinuate that there was no engagement, adding that “the people who are protesting yesterday are not worried about either how we are going to integrate into our community and provide stability for people’s needs in the most appalling circumstances.”
Mr Bruton said the Department of Integration made a genuine effort to engage with the area and he doubted another meeting would have prevented the incident.