A fire has broken out at the former Crown Paints factory site, which has been earmarked to accommodate asylum seekers, as hundreds of people gathered for a protest in Coolock.
The site on the Malahide Road has witnessed violent disorder this week amid protests at the accommodation plan. A fire broke out in a lobby area at the former paints factory on Thursday night following a suspected arson attack.
A significant Garda operation is in place in Coolock, north Dublin, on Friday evening as hundreds of people gathered for a protest.
Hundreds of people assembled at the site before marching on Coolock Garda station, which was attacked by a violent mob earlier this week, to hand in a letter of protest about policing. A number of the protesters then returned to the factory site, where a fire later broke out.
Fire breaks out at Crown Paints as hundreds protest in Coolock over asylum seeker accommodation
Suspected arson attack on Limerick student building after ‘disinformation and rumour’ about asylum seekers
Volunteers guard tents of asylum seekers overnight amid rising threat of violence
‘At the heart of this is poverty’: How Coolock’s pressure-cooker finally exploded
Calls for people to gather on Malahide Road have been made via social media for the last two days as protesters, and far-right agitators, sought to bring large numbers of people into the area.
Garda sources said significant resources were in place to meet with any eventuality. This included the Public Order Unit to quell violence if it emerged at the site, which has been earmarked for about 500 international protection applicants.
Members of the Garda carried out searches in the area earlier in the day in a bid to thwart any efforts to conceal projectiles such as petrol bombs in advance of the protest.
Serious unrest flared at the site on Monday after gardaí moved in just before 4am in an effort to remove a protestors’ camp in place at the entrance since March. A petrol bomb was thrown and an excavator was destroyed by flames.
[ Coolock unrest: Fire at Crown Paints building earmarked to house asylum seekersOpens in new window ]
There followed serious disturbances through the day, at different times, until most of those present had dispersed by about 9.30pm. The crowds were charged, or chased, by Public Order Unit personnel who used pepper sprays and shields to clear Malahide Road, which was blocked to vehicles for hours.
Though the unrest was much more brief, and less violent, on Tuesday evening, members of Public Order Unit were again deployed, with the smaller crowd gathered dispersing after some minor skirmishes with gardaí.
Arson is being suspected after a fire started inside the former Crown Paints property on Thursday night. The blaze was contained to a lobby area at the former paints factory.
Gardaí are concerned the fire started despite a three-metre high concrete structure being erected at the entrance of the site overnight into Tuesday morning.
[ ‘At the heart of this is poverty’: How Coolock’s pressure-cooker finally explodedOpens in new window ]
The fire has raised serious concerns the site will remain a target for arson attacks n the weeks and months ahead.
Garda sources added the willingness of some of those who gathered in the area to vandalise Garda cars outside Coolock Garda station midweek shows a lack of fear and high degree of motivation to cause trouble.
There are fears that because many of those who ,may seek to take on the gardaí are young children, who appear to have seized on a chance of recreational violence, the Garda operation will remain complex and high risk.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
