Gardaí arrested 19 people during violent clashes with anti-immigration protesters at a site designated for asylum seekers in Coolock, north Dublin. Thirteen men and two women were brought before a special sitting of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Monday night, charged with public order offences.
The violence erupted on Monday morning when multiple fires broke out at a makeshift camp established by protesters opposing the use of a disused warehouse to house migrants.
Speaking outside the court, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described the day as “difficult” for policing, highlighting the serious public disorder. “What we saw today was really unacceptable,” he said, adding that more arrests were expected overnight as gardaí continued to identify suspects through CCTV footage and body cam evidence. Harris confirmed that while there were no serious injuries to gardaí, two Garda vehicles were heavily damaged.
The unrest escalated on Monday evening when a Garda car was set alight, and two Dublin Bus vehicles were surrounded as protesters moved towards Coolock Garda station. Gardaí managed to disperse the protesters with the help of the public order unit. The Malahide Road at Coolock was reopened, and the Crown Paints site was secured by late evening.
By 6 pm, hundreds more people, mostly young men, joined the initial crowd at the old Crown Paints warehouse site on Malahide Road. Around 200 gardaí, including 30 members of the public order unit with riot shields, were deployed throughout the day. About 30 Garda vehicles lined the road, which was closed between Oscar Traynor Road and the Darndale roundabout, a distance of about 1km, due to the fires.
Gardaí faced sustained attacks from protesters hurling rocks and other projectiles over several hours. The crowd, including far-right agitators from outside the county, became unruly, leading a small group to break off and head to Coolock Garda Station, where they began jumping on Garda cars. Gardaí eventually managed to disperse the group across a larger area, cordoning off a section of the industrial area that includes the Odeon cinema, Power City, and Burger King.
The protest camp, established months ago to block workers from renovating the warehouse, was dismantled by gardaí on Monday morning, triggering the clashes. A fire at the site destroyed a mechanical digger and spread to other areas before being controlled by Dublin Fire Brigade.
One person, believed to be a security guard, was injured during the clashes. Video footage from the scene showed a man in a tracksuit hitting another man in a high-visibility jacket, and paramedics attending to an injured person on a stretcher.
Videos posted on social media depicted protesters hurling abuse at gardaí and a small group of men alleged to be asylum seekers. Other videos showed numerous emergency vehicles at the scene and barriers blocking the road.
Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed that construction machinery and pallets had been set alight, deploying three fire engines and a turntable ladder to the site.
Taoiseach Simon Harris condemned the violence, calling the scenes “reprehensible.” He stressed that the law would be enforced, and criminal actions such as burning cars and attacking gardaí and emergency services would not be tolerated. “These actions are criminal and designed to sow fear and division,” Harris said, praising the professionalism of the Gardaí and expressing hope for the security guard’s recovery.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee also condemned the violence as “thuggish criminal behavior,” emphasizing that it had no place in society. She assured that those responsible would be brought to justice and stressed that arson and assaults were serious crimes.
A spokesman for the Department of Integration said that workers had attempted to access the site on Monday morning to begin renovations for accommodating asylum seekers. The process, expected to take several weeks, has faced delays due to ongoing protests. The department plans to use the site for about 550 people, including families, couples, single adult males, and single adult females, in modular units.
Community engagement efforts with local representatives are ongoing, as the government seeks to bring onstream accommodation for international protection seekers through various means, including the conversion of commercial buildings and the use of modular units on state-owned land.
Reports indicated that gardaí had entered the encampment at about 3 am, removing tents and clearing barricades, which allegedly led to the digger being set on fire. A woman from a nearby family hub expressed concerns for her children’s safety if male asylum seekers were housed at the site.
At the camp, a man identifying himself as “Colm” addressed the crowd with a megaphone, claiming the plans for the site were part of a plot to “breed out” Irish people. He led chants of “traitors” but urged protesters to stop throwing objects at gardaí.
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