On the night of Tuesday, October 21st, a Garda van was set on fire, and six arrests were made following violent anti-immigration protests outside of the Citywest Hotel in Saggart. The hotel currently houses asylum seekers.
Protesters threw bricks, glass bottles, and set off fireworks. The Garda helicopter was also targeted with lasers, and an officer was reportedly given medical attention for a foot injury. RTÉ reported that several thousand people gathered near the hotel. The Garda deployed riot units with shields, officers on horseback, and a water cannon purchased following the riots in 2023.
In a statement to The University Times, James Ryan, Chair of Trinity College Dublin People Before Profit, said on behalf of the society: “The riots tonight demonstrate that the divisions the right has sown among working class communities target the most vulnerable, and our party wholeheartedly condemns it. This is very threatening to international students who enormously contribute to our country.”
College has recently raised concerns about racism in the city, with a town hall held on October 15 to address growing concerns about racism and xenophobia across the city.
In an official statement shared on X, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said, “I strongly condemn the violent disorder that unfolded in Citywest in Dublin this evening”, adding, “There can be no justification for the vile abuse against [Gardaí], or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people”.
The violence took place during the Presidential debate between Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys, where Connolly said, prefacing she had only been verbally briefed, that the attacks were “very upsetting” and “deeply disturbing” and that it was “time for leadership from politicians […] to use our voices to show leadership”.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said, “This was obviously not a peaceful protest” and vowed to “begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice”.
Tuesday night’s events follow a smaller protest on Monday that felt “very different” to Sky News’ Ireland Correspondent, Stephen Murphy.
In a retrospective titled Policing alt-tech for disinformation? VIGILANTly moving in the right direction, on the 2023 anti-immigrant riots in Dublin, UCD’s Zaur Gouliev and Dr Sarah Anne Dunne said, “Within hours of the attack, far-right activists used these platforms to organise protests, circulating false claims about the suspect’s nationality and calling for violent actions against immigrants. This led to riots, looting, and arson throughout the city centre.” Tuesday’s protest followed a similar pattern, with unverified information about an alleged attack on a young girl circulating widely on X and Telegram among far-right groups being the flashpoint for this anti-immigrant protest.
The full statement from the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union is as follows: “TCDSU/AMLCT strongly condemn the recent anti-immigrant protests in Citywest. The Union has consistently opposed racism in all its forms and we stand in full solidarity with migrants, refugees, and all those targeted by hate. TCDSU/AMLCT is in correspondence with the College, working on ways to further support student safety.
Students can report incidents and find specific support at INAR or the Irish Network Against Racism https://inar.ie/
Some of the supports available to students within the college include student counselling (https://www.tcd.ie/
The Ethnic Minorities Support Drop-In Group that is on in South Leinster Street on Tuesdays from 5-6pm.
Other non-specific support groups to help with anxiety about the situation such as the drop in groups on Wednesdays at 1pm.
Students can email Assia at BOUDHARA@tcd.ie who is the Race Equality officer of the Equality Diversity and Inclusion office.
Students can also email the Students’ Union welfare & equality officer at welfare@tcdsu.org to meet up and talk through concerns and worries.
In case of an emergency please call An Garda Síochána on 112 and clearly state your name, location and incident.”
On Wednesday, October 22nd, at 11:34 PM, this story was updated to include the full comment from the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union.
This is a developing story.
