Irish police arrested 19 people involved in protests against migrants in the Dublin area. During the protests, a police car was set alight and fireworks thrown. Police used pepper spray.
On Monday (July 15) night, protests kicked off outside a former paint factory in north Dublin, which was going to be used to house asylum seekers. The protests, in the Coolock area of Dublin, resulted in 19 arrests.
One security guard at the site was hospitalized, and a number of gardaí (Irish police) were injured, reported the Irish times. The protesters also reportedly launched an attack on a digger at the site.
Concern is mounting within the police at the "complex and volatile security threat" posed by the protesters, who reportedly set alight a police car and surrounded two public buses.
'Tense stand-off'
The police operation continued late on Monday night, amid a "tense stand-off with protesters and far-right agitators," reported the Irish Times, saying that 200 police officers had been sent to the site, along with more than 40 police cars, and a police helicopter which was monitoring events from the air.
Protesters threw fireworks at lines of riot police officers, armed with shields and helmets. Glass bottles were also thrown, as well as "rocks, stones and kerbing" taken from nearby businesses, reported the Irish Times.
Local businesses closed around lunchtime as the protests escalated, reported the newspaper. Industrial wheelie bins were also set alight on a nearby road, blocking sections of traffic on Monday afternoon.
Renovations due to begin
On Monday, workers attempted to enter the site of the former factory to begin renovations so that the factory could be used to house asylum seekers. According to the Irish Times, no asylum seekers were due to move on to the site on Monday.
A protest camp had been present at the site "since last year," reported the Irish Times, and the authorities were intending to clear the camp, so they could begin the renovation work. As the tensions simmered, reported the paper, "hundreds more" arrived at the scene, "including some far-right agitators from outside the county."
Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Simon Harris described the scenes as "reprehensible." Harris added that "these actions are criminal and are designed to sow fear and division. We should not accept them being legitimized in any way by describing them as ‘protest’."
Ireland’s Justice Minister Helen McEntee also promised that those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice.
Special court hearing
A special court sitting was held on Monday night where the 13 men and two women were charged with public order offenses and released on conditional bail, reported the BBC. They were also told to stay away from the scenes of disorder. They are due to appear in court again on September 18.
A further four people arrested were due to appear in court on Tuesday (July 16) morning, added the BBC. The Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that at least three police cars were damaged in the unrest. Mattresses destined for the asylum seekers were also set alight.
The Irish police said that their officers were "subjected to both verbal and physical abuse throughout the day, which escalated into rocks, fireworks, and other objects being launched towards them," reported the BBC.
The Department of Integration in the Irish government confirmed that they had hoped to renovate the site to accommodate asylum-seeking families.
This incident is the latest in an increase in arson attacks and violent protests in Ireland against asylum seekers and the properties being converted to house them.