Hundreds of anti-immigrant protesters burn vehicle, attack police in Dublin

At least 1, 000 protesters have clashed with police in southwest Dublin, throwing bottles and fireworks at the police during anti-immigration demonstrations sparked by alleged assault on a young girl.

After a report that a 26-year-old man had sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, southwest of the Irish capital, protesters came out in droves.

The unnamed man was charged with the sexual assault after showing up in court on Tuesday.

The man, who requested a Romanian interpreter in court, was an asylum seeker, according to local media. His ethnicity has not been confirmed by the police.

At the time of the incident, the young girl reportedly had the state’s care. The girl “absconded” while traveling to the city center, according to Tusla, Ireland’s child and family agency, and was later reported missing.

Anti-immigrant protesters threw fireworks at police, carried signs that read “Irish lives matter,” and chanted “Get them out” during the demonstrations that were held on Tuesday near the hotel grounds.

According to the news agency AFP, officers reportedly lit up a police van as they reportedly charged at protesters with pepper spray before scunning them from the hotel complex.

In response to the protests, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan remarked, “The weaponizing of a crime by those who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected.” This is inadmissible, and it will lead to a harsh response.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin earlier stated that the events were “extremely serious and very, very grave” and that they were “extremely serious and very, very grave.”

The demonstrations on Tuesday follow riots that broke out in Dublin’s central district in November 2023 after three children were hurt in a knife attack outside a school. Police at the time identified the suspect as an Algerian man in his 50s.

Following the stabbing, torching vehicles, and attacking riot police, a far-right mob of at least 100 people invaded Dublin’s streets. Some had their faces covered and some had metal bars on them.

More than 400 police, many of whom were dressed as riots, were dispatched to halt the unrest, according to police, who claimed it was “caused by a small group of thugs.” Following the rampage, at least 34 people were detained.

Ireland and the United Kingdom have recently seen rising anti-immigration sentiment, despite the country’s unique lack of far-right members of parliament. In June, anti-immigration protests erupted in Northern Ireland and erupted into police clashes.

When two Romanian 14-year-old boys were detained on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, the protests started in Ballymena, a town of about 31 000 people, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Belfast.