In a disturbing turn of events, six individuals were apprehended following a violent confrontation outside the CityWest Hotel in Saggart, near Dublin. The incident, which unfolded on Tuesday evening, saw a crowd hurl bricks, bottles, and fireworks at law enforcement officers, culminating in the burning of a police van. The Garda Siochana, Ireland’s national police force, reported that one officer sustained a foot injury during the melee. The unrest was reportedly incited by allegations of a sexual assault in the vicinity, prompting hundreds of demonstrators, many brandishing Irish tricolor flags, to gather outside the hotel. Attempts to breach the police line using horse-drawn carts were met with pepper spray as officers sought to disperse the crowd. Police Commissioner Justin Kelly denounced the actions as “thuggery” by a “mob intent on violence,” while Prime Minister Micheál Martin emphasized that there was “no justification” for the disorder. This incident is part of a broader pattern of protests targeting hotels housing asylum-seekers in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Britain, often fueled by anti-immigration sentiments and far-right rhetoric. In a related development, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan confirmed that a man had been arrested and appeared in court over the alleged sexual assault in Saggart. He lamented the exploitation of crime to sow societal discord, reiterating that while peaceful protest is a democratic right, violence is inexcusable.
6 arrested after protesters clash with police outside Dublin hotel housing asylum seekers
