DUBLIN – As many as fifteen individuals were charged late Monday night after violent confrontations with police erupted during an anti-immigration protest in Ireland.
The clashes occurred in a northern Dublin suburb, Coolock, where over 200 police officers were dispatched to manage a demonstration outside an abandoned paint factory. The situation escalated when protesters hurled rocks, fireworks, and other projectiles at the police.
According to a police statement, several fires were set, and police vehicles were damaged during the clashes.
Those who were nabbed were presented before a special criminal court in Dublin last night; the charges included attacks on police, criminal damage, and serious public disorder offenses. The accused were later released on conditional bail, provided they stayed away from the scene of the disorder.
The protest took place outside a building reportedly designated to house asylum seekers. Similar demonstrations have been held at various locations across Ireland, including suspected arson attacks on hotels, triggering concerns that the anti-immigration protests could harm public order and possibly affect the immigrant communities.
Ireland, currently experiencing its highest levels of immigration, had previously not seen such widespread anti-immigration protests but the eyebrows were raised in November last year when riots broke out in Dublin city center over similar concerns.
Experts believe that the rise in far-right sentiment is largely driven by misinformation on social media.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Helen McEntee took a strong exception to the situation and said these were not protests.
“This is thuggish criminal behavior and has no place in our society,” the minister added.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described the disturbances as “reprehensible while Dublin city councilor Mícheál Mac Donncha described the incident as “deplorable”.
He noted that the Department of Integration had stated that the site was being developed to accommodate families seeking international protection.
