Gardaí are investigating an attack on a property in central Dublin housing international protection applicants, where an effort was made to set a number of fires.
Missiles were thrown at windows of the property, which were broken, with fireworks also launched.
Gardaí believe foreign nationals living at the property were the target of the attacks and are fearful the incident was influenced by the riots outside the International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) centre in Citywest, Dublin, over two nights this week.
Members of the force are set to retain a large presence, including with the Public Order Unit, at Citywest this weekend while patrols across the city will seek to rapidly respond to any outbreaks of violence at other locations.
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The latest attack, which was carried out by a group of about five children and young men, occurred off Basin Lane, Dublin 8, at about 7pm on Thursday.
The teenagers repeatedly shouted “get them out” as they tried to set fires in the area, including at the front door of the property.
On Friday evening, another small and peaceful protest took place outside the Citywest complex in Saggart with prayers and songs standing in stark contrast to the mid-week rioting at the former hotel, which is being used as part of the State’s International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS).
Shortly after 7pm people began to assemble outside the heavily fortified main entrance to the complex behind which dozens of gardai stood.
Some of those taking part in the protest placed battery powered tea-lights along the base of the metal gates that have been installed since violence erupted on Tuesday night while a woman in her 70s handed out wax candles and a lighter to those who were there for “the vigil” she explained,
A small teddy bear was placed at the centre of the display with a hand drawn picture of a girl and the message “She was 10 years old” written underneath it. The same message was on signs carried by some of the protestors.
A 26-year-old man was charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl on October 20th, an incident which sparked the first night of violence on Tuesday night.
By 8pm the crowd outside the hotel entrance had swelled to around 100 with many young families and women in their 70s praying and singing and chanting their demands for safer streets and justice.
A child in a lion’s costume held up a homemade sign which read “I want to be safe” as car drivers passing the gates honked their horns in support.
A woman with a megaphone led the calls for justice and said that the concerns that people in the area had been voicing about the use of the hotel as an IPAS centre were finally being heard. The woman lives locally and had attended protests on Tuesday and Wednesday.
She said they would continue their peaceful protests until they were able to bring about change.
Earlier this week, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly urged young males not to become involved in anti-immigration violence, warning that a conviction related to violent disorder could seriously impact their opportunities in life.
He said after the Dublin city centre riots in 2023, most of those who were eventually jailed were young males who had been influenced by others.
However, Garda sources said while video footage had emerged of the Dublin 8 incident on Thursday night and showed a large number of people on the street, it later transpired most of those were residents who had come out to investigate when gardaí arrived.
The same sources said the attack was perpetrated by a small number of young males, wearing masks and hoods, most of whom appeared to be children.
Garda Headquarters confirmed an incident had taken place and that members of the force went to the scene in a number of marked vehicles after receiving reports about the disturbance.
“Gardaí responded to a public order incident where a number of wheelie bins were damaged by fire and windows were broken in the Dublin 8 area at approximately 7.05pm last night,” the Garda said in reply to queries.
