Dublin protest recap: Angry violence erupts outside migrant hotel in shocking scenes

A crowd of people have been chased away from the hotel by riot police.

There are now around 800 people in attendance at the protest in Dublin.

There is a large Garda response, including riot officers and a helicopter in the skies above.

There are now three rows of riot police at the protest.

According to our reporter Lotti O’Brien, the protesters have pepper sprayed a police officer.

A video shows a firework being set off near a line of police officers at the protest in Dublin.

A police helicopter is now circling the area as protesters build.

Stones are being thrown at police and a firework has been set off at the protest, our reporter Lotti O’Brien says.

We will continue to keep you updated.

Video footage from the protest shows demonstrators confront officers this evening.

According to our reporter in Dublin Lotti O’Brien, around 200 demonstrators are now gathered outside the hotel for a third night of protests.

We will continue to keep you updated.

Video footage shows a crowd of protesters confront a line of police officers outside the hotel this evening.

One woman shouts: “If that was one of our daughters? Na, not happening.”

She continues: “Under the constitution, you should be protecting Irish people and the Irish people have the f***ing right to walk up that street.”

One demonstrator named Amy, pictured wearing a tiger mask, is holding a sign which reads “I want to be safe”.

According to our reporter in Dublin Lotti O’Brien, there are around 50 protesters in attendance so far.

A picture shows a group gathered on a street corner. Most are wearing dark coats while some have their faces cothered.

The protest is expected to start at around 7.30pm.

Garda have issued a Section 8 order in the area outside the hotel. This makes it an offence to ignore their demand to stop acting in a way that may endanger public safety, or to leave an area in an orderly manner.

Garda officers can issue the order if they have reasonable cause to suspect people are acting in a way that is contrary to public order. The failure to comply risks arrest.

According to our reporter Lotti O’Brien, the protesters are set to arrive at 7.30pm this evening.

There are currently around 300 police officers surrounding the hotel ahead of the latest protest.

A picture taken outside the Citywest Hotel in Dublin this evening shows Garda officers and vans already in attendance.

Our reporter Lotti O’Brien previously said “hundreds of officers” were braced ahead of another night of protests.

“Hundreds of officers” are already in attendance outside the Citywest hotel in Dublin this evening, according to our reporter on the ground Lotti O’Brien.

We will continue to keep you updated on the situation.

As reported by Dublin Live, a man, 26, charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in Dublin has deferred applying for bail. The accused cannot be named due to the nature of the charge.

A total of 18,651 people applied for asylum in Ireland in 2024. This figure was 5,000 higher than the year before.

The majority of applicatants came from Nigeria, Jordan and Pakistan. Those with the highest success rates came from Sri Lanka and Guinea.

However, the government has since tightened immigration rules and increased deportations. Officials stated that the asylum system was overburdened, with some migrants give tented housing due to the strain on state accomodation.

As reported by the Telegraph, Ireland’s former ambassador to the UK, Bobby McDonagh, said far-right groups in Britain and Ireland are drawing inspiration from eachother.

He said Irish flags have been attached to lamp posts following the recent trend across the UK.

Mr McDonagh added: “Especially given internet and social media, I think far-Right influence from Trump’s America is also a significant factor in both cases.”

He continued: “As regards differences, the influence of the xenophobic far-Right on society and politics is vastly less here, for the moment. We have no Farage figure or party, and no major party feels the need to bend the knee in that direction.”

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin condemned the “violent disorder” and “vile abuse” aimed at police.

Speaking in parliament, Mr Martin acknowledged “the concern, anger and worry of many people throughout the country at what (is) alleged to have transpired here”.

He added: “Clearly, there has been failure here in terms of the state’s obligation to protect this child.”

As reported by the Telegraph, a woman protesting outside the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday night shouted through a loudhailer: “This is Ireland, this is our country – get them out, get them f—ing out.”

Some of the protesters reportedly armed themselves with bricks after demolishing a wall. Glass bottles were also taken from bins before being launched at police.

The Luas Red Line tram services between Belgard and Saggart were suspended ahead of the protest.

Later, the glass at the Luas stop at Saggart was smashed, PA reports.

Images from the scene show what appears to be the wreckage of the garda van that was set alight.

Police believe the violence seen outside the hotel was “pre-planned, but they were also more prepared” than they were for rioting in the capital in 2023, RTÉ’s crime correspondent, Paul Reynolds has said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster on Wednesday, he said officers were equipped with superior equipment, including stronger incapacitant spray.

Mr Reynolds said they also had a water cannon, the threat of which “was enough to disperse the crowd last night and also the violence was more self-contained, because there was a particular area and location outside the hotel where these demonstrators, protesters and violent agitators had gathered”, he said.

Mr Reynolds said unlike the disturbances in 2023, during which sporadic violence was seen in various parts of the capital, it was concentrated in one area and the gardai “clearly had a plan”.

He said “very good quality” CCTV footage is being gathered by police.

Authorities have also captured bodycam video which officers will use to use to “identify further violent demonstrators”, Mr Reynolds added.

A female Garda member was injured during the violence but has since been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a foot injury.

Nearly 300 members of An Garda Siochana, Ireland’s national police and security service, were on duty in response to the public disorder.

This included more than 125 uniformed gardai, 150 members of the public order unit and a water cannon, which was not ultimately used.

Mounted and dog units also attended, supported by members in the Air Support Unit and the Garda regional control rooms.

The Garda said public order units were deployed in full protective equipment and utilised pepper spray to “repel sustained physical attacks”.

A senior investigating officer has been appointed to probe the incident.

Ireland’s Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has said those involved in the violence outside the Citywest Hotel will be brought to justice.

“People threw missiles at gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire,” he said.

“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the gardai.

“Those involved will be brought to justice.”

Ireland’s deputy premier Simon Harris said: “I condemn the violent attacks on members of An Garda Siochana outside Citywest last night.

“There is understandable shock and horror right across our country over the alleged incident that is now before the courts. The full facts must and will be established as people rightly expect.

“But there is no excuse for this type of violence and thuggery against the men and women who serve to protect us and victims of crime every day.”

Acting Deputy Garda Commissioner Paul Cleary said the force would be “relentless in our pursuit of those involved” in the disorder, which he said had been orchestrated online.

“We know that even though people may have been wearing hoods or masks, we still have the ability to identify them and bring them before the courts, and we will pursue that relentlessly,” he told RTE’s Morning Ireland.

He said Tuesday night’s protest included a mix of some peaceful protesters, youths on horses and scramblers and “violent thugs who were there purely to incite violence and promote fear”.

Mr Cleary said that such incidents are “very dynamic and dangerous”, and while gardai are prepared, “you can never prepare for everything”.

“The fact that we were able to bring the incident under control within approximately two and a half hours … I think one of the main objectives was to prevent spread and we did that.”

He said of the Garda van that was burnt out: “When you have control it doesn’t mean you have zero damage.

“What we witnessed last night went far beyond protest. It was a violent riot driven by thugs intent on violence, and it wasn’t just an attack on gardai, it was an attack on community safety, and we won’t tolerate that.”

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin condemned the scenes of violence, stating there could be “no justification” for attacks on gardai.

Mr Martin said he had been briefed on the violence.

“I pay tribute to the frontline gardai who acted courageously and quickly to restore order,” he said.

“The Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner have briefed me on the operation, and I thank everyone for their work.

“An Garda Siochana protect us all and have a proud tradition of service to the Irish people.

“There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people.”

Five men have been charged with public order offences following violent clashes outside the hotel, which is housing asylum seekers.

The men, two of whom are aged in their 50s and three in their 40s, are due to appear before the city’s Criminal Courts of Justice later on Wednesday morning.

A total of six people were arrested amid the disturbances at the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday night.

A woman in her 50s who was detained has since been released without charge pending a file being prepared for Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions.

Irish police have condemned the scenes at Citywest as “thuggery” and “an attempt to intimidate”.

A Garda spokesperson said yesterday: “This evening, members of An Garda Síochána on duty at a public gathering at Citywest were subjected to sustained levels of violence. This was not a peaceful protest. The violence exhibited was thuggery and an attempt to intimidate and injure.

“During the evening there were sustained attacks on Garda Cordons, including physical violence, bricks thrown and fireworks discharged at Garda members and the arson of a Garda van.

“Bins with hundreds of used glass bottles in the area were emptied and contents used as missiles. Attempts to breach the Garda cordon were also made by charging the line with horse drawn sulkies. Individuals were observed carrying implements such as garden forks and tools and damaging walls in the locality to obtain missiles.

“The Garda helicopter was targeted with lasers. One member of An Garda Síochána has received medical attention for a foot injury. Six persons have been arrested, primarily for Public Order Offences.

“An Garda Síochána had a policing operation in place for this public gathering organised by disparate groups on social media, who stir up hatred and violence and encourage and entice others to get involved.

“Over the course of the evening nearly 300 members of An Garda Síochána were on duty, including over 125 uniform members, 150 Public Order members, Water Cannon, Mounted Unit and Dog Unit supported by members in Air Support Unit and Regional Control rooms.

“Units across the Dublin Region were supported by colleagues from the Garda Eastern Region. An Garda Síochána Public Order Incident Command policy was implemented.

“Garda Public Order Units were deployed in full protective equipment and utilised Incapacitant spray to repel sustained physical attacks on Garda Lines. An investigation has been commenced and a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed.”

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who visited the scene in the aftermath of the violence, said: “This was obviously not a peaceful protest. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against Gardai.

“I utterly condemn the attacks on gardai who did their jobs professionally and with great courage to keep people safe.”

He added: “We will now begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice.”