Uniformed police maintained a subtle presence near the previous Crown Paints factory in Coolock, Dublin on Tuesday morning, in the aftermath of a heavy bout of civil disorder in the area on Monday. High barriers made of concrete, roughly 3m tall, blocked the entrance to the location, where the Department of Integration is set to accommodate approximately 550 asylum seekers.
A single security officer, stationed at the neighbouring industrial park on Malahide Road, conveyed that the morning had been fairly peaceful. As events unfold, their uncertainty implied with a simple, “But we’ll see.”
An increase in worry within An Garda Síochána has been noted, regarding an escalating and unpredictable security threat in north Dublin following confrontations between police and demonstrators who stood against the housing of international protection applicants within an obsolete paint factory.
Even after a day marked by brutal conflict left a security officer hospitalised, multiple police officers wounded, a torching attack on a police car and a digger, and resulted in 15 arrests, protestors remained on the Crown Paints industrial unit site on Malahide Road, Coolock.
In the face of roughhousing protestors and far-right provocateurs on site, the police operation continued into Monday night, peaking at an involvement of 200 force members, over 40 police vehicles, and a helicopter providing an aerial overview.
The violent spectacle involved fireworks being aimed at rows of the Garda Public Order Unit. The police also came under attack by glass bottles, high velocity gas canisters, rocks, stones, and kerbing from businesses in the Malahide Road Retail Centre.
Large waste containers were seized from the industrial businesses that had hurriedly shut down around noon. These were then ignited by young people on the northward lane of Malahide Road. Wreckage was scattered across significant portions of the road following the outbreaks of violence which were pacified by approximately 4:30pm.
Simon Harris, the Taoiseach, chastised the tumult in Coolock on Monday evening, labelling it as pure “rowdyism”. He stated on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland program on Tuesday that it was not a representation of community involvement and should be clearly identified as such.
He declared workers and police officers should not have had to be endangered. “Enough with the excuse-making”, he expressed frustration. Mr Harris promised to enhance communication with communities, the upright, respectful citizens nationwide who desire to discuss valid issues. He asserted that this kind of engagement was vital in every community. “What we witnessed last night was far from community involvement. It was raw hooliganism and should be exposed for what it was”, said Mr Harris. He thanked the quick reaction of the police force in a challenging situation which resulted in several arrests.
“The use of body cameras was particularly beneficial, as I am certain it has served as a crucial tool in gathering key evidence against acts that will not be tolerated in our country”, he concluded.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Helen McEntee defended the police’s response to the Coolock protests on Monday. She told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the police force had responded “promptly and strongly”. She expressed disappointment at the hostile targeting of the police. She praised their response efforts.
Ms McEntee emphasized the government’s commitment to curbing the spread of misinformation and disinformation and to providing lucidity for communities. She mentioned that Minister Gorman and his department were directly interacting with communities and that this would persist. However, she underlined that using communication as a rationale for such violent criminal activities was unacceptable. Ms McEntee condemned this sort of behaviour as criminal, stating it would not be tolerated and that it was not a legitimate form of protest.
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