Three gardaí who were injured following clashes at a former paint factory earmarked for international protection applicants in north Dublin last night are now recovering, the force said in a statement.
“A full array of welfare supports” are being made available to the gardaí impacted by events in Coolock, the Garda statement said.
“This is a private matter for all three gardai who received injuries in the course of their duties last night and An Garda Síochána has no further comment.”
It is understood that one of the three gardaí injured was taken to hospital for treatment after he was hit in the forehead by a rock in the course of the disturbance.
Derek Blighe convicted and fined after refusing to make donation to Irish Refugee Council
High Court awards Peter Casey €140,000 damages for defamation in acupuncturist’s online post
Economists need to get their story straight on immigration
Judge halts man’s challenge to law enabling expedited development of asylum seeker housing
A man in his twenties who was arrested at the scene has since been released without charge. Investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, on Saturday condemned the scenes in Coolock.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Minister McEntee described an attack on a member of An Garda Siochana as a “serious criminal offence” which carries a prison sentence of up to twelve years.
“I have re-iterated to the Garda Commissioner the Government’s full support to the gardai who are doing their job in a very difficult environment. I commend them for their response along with members of the fire services,” she said.
“Sadly, a small minority of individuals are inciting violence and fear in an attempt to divide our communities. It cannot be tolerated. Those who engage in criminal acts will be brought to justice.”
Another fire broke out at the former Crown Paints factory on Malahide Road, Coolock, after an anti-immigration protest attended by over 500 people on Friday night
Gardaí had sealed off Malahide Road for the second time on Friday at about 7.30pm when the fire was noticed at the site. The same lobby area that was damaged by fire on Thursday night was affected, with Dublin Fire Brigade dispatching several units to the scene.
A number of scuffles broke out and members of the Garda public order unit advanced on the crowd, dispersing them with shields and pepper spray.
Earlier, a large group of protesters had marched from the site to nearby Coolock Garda station to submit a letter of complaint about policing in the area over the last week.
The crowd was blocked on Oscar Traynor Road, a short distance from the station, by a line of uniformed gardaí – backed by the public order unit and detectives.
However, several representatives were allowed through the Garda lines to submit the letter of complaint about the policing tactics during street disturbances in the area on Monday and Tuesday.
The Garda helicopter monitored events on the ground while a high visibility Garda presence was maintained in the area.
The fire appeared to have been brought under control quickly and a number of fire tenders were parked on Malahide Road about 200 metres away.
Video of the fire, recorded over a large concrete fence around the site, was shared on social media.
The group that marched to within 100 metres of the Garda station dispersed just after 7pm, with several hundred walking back to the nearby former Crown Paints site to resume a protest there. It was shortly after that time the fire on the site was noticed.
The protest group had gathered at that site from late afternoon after a call was made by the ‘Coolock Says No’ group to protest there from 6pm. Once the crowd had assembled it moved along both carriageways of Malahide Road, blocking it in two directions.
A short rally was then held, with several speakers including new Dublin city councillor Malachy Steenson, Cllr Patrick Quinlan of the National Party and Cllr Glen Moore, also of the National Party.
Earlier, gardaí had carried out searches in the area in a bid to thwart any efforts to conceal projectiles such as petrol bombs in advance of the protest.
[ Coolock unrest: Fire at Crown Paints building earmarked to house asylum seekersOpens in new window ]
Serious unrest flared at the site on Monday after gardaí moved in just before 4am in a bid to remove a protest camp in place at the entrance since March. A petrol bomb was thrown and an excavator was destroyed by fire.
There followed serious disturbances through the day, with most of those people present eventually dispersing by about 9.30pm. The crowds were charged, or chased, by gardaí who used pepper sprays and shields to clear Malahide Road, which was blocked to vehicles for hours.
[ ‘At the heart of this is poverty’: How Coolock’s pressure-cooker finally explodedOpens in new window ]
Although the unrest was much more brief, and less violent, on Tuesday evening, members of public order unit were again deployed, with members of the smaller crowd engaging in minor skirmishes with gardaí.
Arson is suspected after the first fire started on Thursday night.
- 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
