Components of incendiary devices have been discovered by gardaí involved in the policing of disturbances at a site in Coolock, north Dublin, earmarked as accommodation for international protection applicants.
The items, including bottles of flammable liquids and rags, as well as paint and oil, were discovered last Tuesday, the day after the first, and most serious, violence outside the former Crown Paints factory on Malahide Road.
Gardaí searched the areas of Dunree Park and Moatfield Avenue, both south of the site, and made the finds. Garda sources said it was believed the items had been prepared and stored for use against gardaí during clashes that later took place on Tuesday night.
The Garda confirmed searches were carried out of grass areas close to the protest site by members of the drugs unit and detective unit from Coolock Garda station.
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“Seven glass and plastic bottles of various sizes containing flammable liquid were discovered, alongside a number of empty glass bottles and rags,” the Garda said in a statement. “Plastic bottles containing a mixture of paint and oil as well as packets of water balloons were also recovered. All of the incendiary devices and material seized has been sent for further technical examination and analysis.”
It added the devices “risk serious harm to human life as well as criminal damage to property, as has been witnessed in recent events”. And while the Garda “respects the right for citizens to exercise their constitutional rights” that did not extend to “breaches of criminal law”.
The right to protest also did not extend to “the interference with the rights of other citizens to carry out their daily activities, or to attack members of An Garda Síochána”.
An incident room has been established at Coolock Garda station to investigate the discovery of the cache of materials to make up the devices and a senior investigating officer had been appointed. The Garda also said its members were “collating and harvesting” CCTV images that captured Monday’s disturbances as well as footage shared on social media.
During those clashes on Monday, the Garda Public Order Unit was deployed and used pepper sprays and riot shields during clashes with people who had gathered in the area. Early that morning petrol bombs were thrown, and an excavator destroyed, at the former paints factory after a major Garda operation began to clear a protesters’ camp from the entrance of the site and installed construction materials.
Garda Headquarters said it had received a “significant volume of support” from the public, including calls to Coolock Garda station and Garda Confidential Line, as well as receiving images and videos from the public. It wanted to acknowledge that assistance and urge anyone else with information to come forward.
They were especially keen to hear from people who may have been recording dashcam footage on Malahide Road, or in the surrounding areas, between 9am and 8pm last Monday.
While the Coolock site has been calmer in recent days, there were disturbances again last Friday and fires were set at the site on the each of the last four evenings, with Dublin Fire Brigade being required to bring them under control. Gardaí believe misinformation and disinformation has driven a lot of opposition to the plans to accommodate the IPAs at the former paint factory.
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