Irish anti-immigration protesters arrested after clashes with police

FLate Monday evening, 11 people were charged in Dublin after violent clashes with police at an anti-immigration demonstration in a northern suburb of the city.

Over 200 police officers were dispatched to a location in Coolock where protesters had gathered outside an empty paint factory. The situation escalated when stones, fireworks and other projectiles were fired at police.

Several fires were set and official police vehicles were damaged, police said in a statement. The 15 people appeared before a Special Criminal Court in Dublin last night, a police statement said, adding that they had found assaults on police, damage to property and serious breaches of public order.

The protest took place outside a building reportedly intended to house asylum seekers. Protests have already taken place at several similar locations across the country, including several suspected arson attacks on hotels.

This is an indication of how strongly anti-immigration sentiment has grown in Ireland, which partly mirrors trends across Europe, although not so evident in the small country that is currently experiencing the largest surge in immigration in its history.

The rise of far-right sentiment, largely fuelled by misinformation spread on online platforms, became a priority for the Irish government in November last year when riots broke out in Dublin city centre over the same issue.

“This is not a protest,” Justice Minister Helen McEntee said in a statement. “This is brutal, criminal behavior and has no place in our society.”

Police said it was an ongoing incident.