Two men were arrested on Monday evening during a large protest outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin in support of Palestine.
Several hundred people gathered outside the building in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 in response to a massive bombardment of the Palestinian city of Gaza that has left hundreds dead.
Israel’s government has promised to destroy the Palestinian militant group Hamas in response to widespread terror attacks on Israeli territory over the weeks.
Various groups, including People Before Profit, have been demonstrating outside the embassy since the late afternoon.
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There is also a large Garda presence outside the embassy, tasked with keeping the demonstrators back from the main door.
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At one stage a demonstrator climbed the outer fence and threw a large amount of red paint over the door before being detained and arrested by gardaí.
Gardaí with drawn batons shouted at protesters to remain behind the fence. Shelbourne Road has been closed as a result of the demonstration.
Protesters shouted “Palestine will be free”, lit flares and waved Palestinian flags. A small number damaged Israeli flags which had been left outside the embassy along with bunches of flowers and sympathy cards.
In a statement, the Garda said two males were arrested at the demonstration and that the crowd had fully dispersed by 11pm.
Large-scale protests have also taken place outside the Israeli embassy in London.
