A major policing operation to protect residents at a centre for foreign nationals in Citywest, Dublin, is set to remain in place in coming days amid fears the violent scenes may be repeated.
Several hundred protesters gathered again at Citywest on Wednesday night, with some throwing masonry, flares, glass bottles and wooden planks at members of An Garda Síochána.
Seventeen people are due before court on Thursday morning on public order charges relating to the night’s violent riots.
Gardaí said they are continuing to investigate the disturbances. Following the latest violent scenes, 24 people were arrested. Three gardaí were injured with two of them brought to hospital.
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Among them was a garda who was treated after she was hit in the face by a projectile, believed to be a bottle. The other garda injuries are believed to have included injuries to the wrist, the head and on the shoulder.
As well as the 17 adults due in court, gardaí said five male juveniles were arrested. They were later released and will be dealt with under the Youth Diversion Programme.
In two other adult cases, files are being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
During the course of Wednesday night’s operation 15 scooters and e-bikes were seized.
In the aftermath, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian community in Ireland described the fear experienced by families in the Citywest complex during the riots.
Families were told not to leave their rooms and did not know how long it was going to last.
“People don’t know when it’s going to happen again because this isn’t the first time that Ukrainian community or the immigrant community overall in Ireland has been targeted,” Anatoily Primakov told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Thursday.
“You’re dealing with families who have fled war. So you’re dealing with families and people who have already suffered, who have come to Ireland seeking refuge and safety, and instead they’re finding this.”
On Wednesday evening, a mounted Garda unit and a dog unit were deployed to the scene, along with the Public Order Unit and a helicopter providing air support.
The Public Order Unit, or riot squad, set up a cordon at the junction at Garter Lane and Citywest Drive, near the entrance to the hotel, and gardaí used pepper spray in an attempt to push back protesters to outer roads.
The centre for international protection applicants (IPAS) houses 1,200 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country and 460 asylum seekers.
An estimated 500 people attended the protest on the second night of large-scale demonstrations in Citywest.
Gardaí managed to push protesters to the outer roads, but a number of skirmishes broke out and stones and fireworks were thrown at gardaí.
A major component of the policing plan is the use of riot squad personnel for street clashes, while a significant armed response was also being kept in reserve.
Senior officers decided that as so many extra gardaí have been trained, and equipped, for public order policing since the Dublin city riots of November 2023, there was no need to cancel any leave for Dublin-based gardaí to bolster the Citywest policing plan.
The Irish Times understands a number of riot ringleaders have been identified, including those who incited hatred online before the violence and those who played a dominant role on the ground during the disturbances.
In a statement, gardaí said that the Garda water cannon was on standby but it was not deemed necessary to deploy it.
“Over the course of the evening over 300 members of An Garda Síochána were on duty, including over 150 uniform members, 120 public-order members, mounted unit and dog unit supported by members in air support unit and regional control rooms,” the statement added.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, in a late-night statement on Wednesday, said: “Many have been arrested, and more will follow.”
Mr O’Callaghan said earlier that the violence resulted from “the weaponising of a crime” by “people who wish to sow dissent in our society”, adding this was “not unexpected”.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the Garda had intelligence that efforts were being made to organise a second gathering at the centre on Wednesday night, warning those intent on violence would be met with a “robust” policing response.
He added the protest held on Tuesday night was not peaceful, with a horse deliberately charged at the Garda lines and a man on a scrambler motorbike trying to ram gardaí who were on foot. The violence was “designed to damage the Citywest building and intimidate” the residents there and would not be tolerated, he said.
[ Ninety minutes of madness: How the Citywest riot exploded and then was quelledOpens in new window ]
The Garda Representative Association, which represents more than 11,000 rank-and-file gardaí, said its members had faced “serious challenges” during the violence. Vice-president Niall Hodgins added they had “courageously responded when called upon to protect life and property” at great risk to their personal safety as they were attacked.
On Tuesday night, rioters kicked down walls in the Melbury Oaks housing estate off Garter Lane, where the Citywest centre is located, and then broke sections of the demolished walls into single bricks, which were thrown at gardaí. Industrial-sized wheelie bins filled with glass bottles were taken from nearby businesses and the bottles thrown at gardaí.
As well as 150 public-order unit gardaí on duty, some 125 uniformed members were also deployed as well as the new Garda water cannon, the Garda dog unit and the Garda helicopter. Gardaí deployed pepper spray repeatedly at the rioters.
Garda sources said while many of those involved concealed their identities by using scarves, hoods and balaclavas, others had been much more careless. Senior officers were confident the body-worn cameras used by some gardaí present, as well as footage from CCTV systems in the area, would prove invaluable in catching those behind the violence.
A Garda van was destroyed in an arson attack, and Public Order Unit gardaí were attacked by rioters, who launched fireworks at them, as well as bricks and bottles. Six arrests were made and five of those people appeared before the courts on Wednesday. One further arrest was made on Wednesday afternoon.
The initial protest was called for Tuesday night in response to a foreign man (26) being charged with the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old Irish girl outside the Citywest campus in the early hours of Monday.
Though gardaí tried to facilitate a peaceful protest, they were attacked by many in the crowd and a significant public-order policing response was deployed. The streets were largely cleared by 10pm, more than two hours after the trouble flared.
[ The Citywest riot: 20 photographs capturing the night of violence in SaggartOpens in new window ]
