Riot police clashed with scores of protesters outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in southwest Dublin following the alleged sexual assault of a female minor by a migrant.
The incident occurred near the Citywest Hotel in Saggart on Monday night. On Tuesday evening, more than 500 demonstrators gathered outside the site, setting a police van ablaze, throwing fireworks and bottles, and surrounding officers with Irish flags and anti-immigration placards.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan denounced the violence and warned of a strong state response, calling the exploitation of the crime for broader dissent “not unexpected."
Gardaí have charged a man in his 20s in connection with the alleged assault and are investigating.
The unrest highlights rising tensions in Ireland over migration, accommodation of asylum seekers, and the risk of localized episodes spiralling into broader civil disorder.