{"id":317194,"date":"2025-10-23T05:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T05:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=317194"},"modified":"2025-10-25T05:32:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T05:32:34","slug":"rioters-attack-irish-police-outside-migrant-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=317194","title":{"rendered":"Rioters attack Irish police outside migrant hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kieran Kelly \u2013 The Telegraph Oct 22, 2025<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Irish police came under sustained attack from bricks, glass bottles and fireworks for almost two hours during a violent protest outside a migrant hotel in Dublin.<\/p>\n

At one point a distressed horse pulling a sulky \u2013 a lightweight cart \u2013 was forced to charge the lines of Garda confronting a masked mob estimated to number thousands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Ireland, this is our country \u2013 get them out, get them f—ing out,\u201d a woman screamed through a loudhailer outside the Citywest Hotel in Saggart on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

The rioters gathered there after reports that a 10-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by an asylum seeker before the first clashes at 7.30pm.<\/p>\n

Rioters ran at a police cordon outside the hotel, wielding garden forks and other tools, before being forced back.<\/p>\n

A Garda van was set on fire as protesters waved Irish flags.<\/p>\n

The Irish Times reported that some armed themselves with bricks after demolishing a wall in nearby Melbury Oaks; glass bottles were taken from recycling bins and used as missiles against police.<\/p>\n

Homeowners rushed out to confront the mostly masked young men but retreated when they saw \u201cmany in a frenzy breaking down a wall with their bare hands\u201d.<\/p>\n

After 90 minutes of chaos, riot officers charged the thugs, who, despite shouts of \u201chold your ground\u201d, broke and fled.<\/p>\n

Police said the demonstration had been organised online and had attracted \u201cviolent thugs who were there purely to incite violence and promote fear\u201d.<\/p>\n

At least six people were arrested after police split the protesters into groups using riot shields and pepper spray. The riot petered out around 11pm.<\/p>\n

Five men, two in their 50s and three in their 40s, were charged with public order offences and are due to appear in court on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

One female officer sustained a foot injury and a police helicopter was targeted with lasers. The debris-strewn area around the hotel remained cordoned off on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

The Garda said officers were subjected to sustained, targeted violence.<\/p>\n

Miche\u00e1l Martin, the Taoiseach, condemned the \u201cviolent disorder\u201d and \u201cvile abuse\u201d directed at police.<\/p>\n

He added that the events surrounding the alleged assault were \u201cextremely serious and very, very grave\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking in parliament, Mr Martin acknowledged \u201cthe concern, anger and worry of many people throughout the country at what [is] alleged to have transpired here\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, there has been failure here in terms of the state\u2019s obligation to protect this child,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

It was the second night in a row the hotel had been targeted by protesters, though Monday night\u2019s demonstration did not turn violent.<\/p>\n

Tuesday night\u2019s unrest came hours after a 26-year-old suspect appeared in court charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault, which reportedly took place near the hotel.<\/p>\n

The alleged victim was in state care at the time, with Tusla, Ireland\u2019s child and family agency, confirming that she had \u201cabsconded\u201d during a trip to the city centre and had been reported missing.<\/p>\n

Police were better prepared than during the 2023 Dublin riots, which began after a knife attack that injured five people, including three children.<\/p>\n

There has been a string of arson attacks and protests at migrant centres and hotels in Ireland and the UK.<\/p>\n

Ireland, with a population of about five million, is struggling to adapt to its transformation from a country of emigration to one of immigration.<\/p>\n

It is in the grips of a chronic housing crisis, and there are fears that the strain on public services will worsen as record numbers of asylum seekers seek to stay.<\/p>\n

In 2024, 18,651 people applied for asylum \u2013 more than 5,000 up on 2023\u2019s total. Most applicants came from Nigeria, Jordan and Pakistan, while those from Sri Lanka and Guinea had the highest success rates.<\/p>\n

That rate is believed to have slowed after the government tightened immigration rules and increased deportations in an effort to relieve an overburdened asylum system.<\/p>\n

As of February, Ireland had welcomed about 112,000 Ukrainian refugees. The strain on state accommodation has been so great the government has resorted to tented housing.<\/p>\n

Ireland spent about \u00a3350 million on accommodation for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees in the first three months of this year and expects to spend just under \u00a33bn on asylum accommodation and related services in 2026.<\/p>\n

The government bought the Citywest Hotel for \u00a3129m in September \u2013 a move officials said would save money after years of costly private contracts to house asylum seekers.<\/p>\n

It now plans to convert it into permanent asylum-seeker accommodation.<\/p>\n

The clashes come ahead of Ireland\u2019s presidential election on Friday.<\/p>\n

Heather Humphreys, the Fine Gael candidate, is competing with Catherine Connolly<\/a>, a Left-wing independent, for the presidency.<\/p>\n

Ms Connolly said Ireland \u201cneeds to be careful\u201d about emerging divisions.<\/p>\n

The Garda have warned that violent political extremism is on the rise<\/a> in Ireland.<\/p>\n

Bobby McDonagh, Ireland\u2019s former ambassador to the UK, said far-Right groups in Ireland and Britain were drawing inspiration from each other.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Protesters hoist Irish flags on lamp poles<\/p><\/div>\n

He said Irish groups had begun hoisting flags on lamp posts in imitation of a recent British phenomenon, but insisted that public opinion in Ireland remained broadly pro-migration. (Recent polls suggest otherwise<\/a>. Bobby McDonagh sounds like a quisling who is trying to curry favour with the ruling elite.)<\/p>\n

He said there was \u201csome degree of cross-pollination, including shameful use of our respective national flags\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially given internet and social media, I think far-Right influence from Trump\u2019s America is also a significant factor in both cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cAs regards differences, the influence of the xenophobic far-Right on society and politics is vastly less here, for the moment. We have no Farage figure or party, and no major party feels the need to bend the knee in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hermann Kelly, an anti-immigration activist and president of the far-Right Irish Freedom Party, said the group had \u201cno truck with any trace of violence\u201d.<\/p>\n

He told The Telegraph: \u201cIn Ireland, the problems caused by reckless open-border policy came later, larger and quicker than in the UK.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been many hundreds of peaceful rallies of local people protesting against the placement of asylum-seeker centres in their area.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have every right to show pride in their country and their flag. Our message is simple: this is Ireland, and it belongs to the Irish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWe look and see that there has been a growth in the electoral strength of patriotic parties across Europe and indeed in the USA as well. We welcome this greatly.<\/p>\n