The tensions, which have been building since March, erupted yesterday in a day of violence.

Tensions Have Been Building Since March

Since March, protesters have maintained a camp outside the former Crown Paints factory site on Malahide Road. They have built small wooden shacks and hung banners with slogans like “Coolock Says No.” The protest opposes using a large warehouse on the site to accommodate International Protection Applicants. Over the months, significant marches have been staged, occasionally disrupting traffic, sometimes on horseback. There have been a few arrests and at least one incident of broken windows. Despite claims of ’round-the-clock’ protests, the camp has not been constantly occupied.

On Monday Morning, The Protest Camp Was Demolished

The Department of Integration has made a statement confirming that a contractor “attempted to begin work” on the site on Monday morning.  The site was set to house “families, couples, single adult males and single adult females.” This has now been delayed due to protests. However, no asylum seekers were due to be moved on to the site on Monday. Fencing was put up, guards put in place and the wooden shacks demolished. Users seen in the protest encampment started posting about this on TikTok. According to reporting by RTE, the person recording the TikTok shouted at the security guards, “Foreigners out, get out of the country, you pricks.”

Calls For “Back Up” Echoed Around Social Media

A post on social media at approximately 8am called for “thousands of Irish patriots” to meet in Coolock to “march to Crown Paints take it back and hold the forte [sic]. Now is our calling to fight to save our country.” By 8.12, around 15 had gathered with more beginning to arrive.

Security Guards Were Attacked And Digger Torched

Mattresses were dragged out of the site and set alight, and by 10.31 a digger was engulfed by fire. While people dragged the fencing away, security guards employed to protect the site were attacked and one injured man was taken to hospital.

200 Gardaí Involved Last Night

The tense standoff with protesters and far-right agitators at the site involved up to 200 gardaí, over 40 Garda vehicles, and a helicopter. The violent scenes included fireworks, glass bottles, “fast gas” canisters, rocks, stones, and kerbing being thrown at Public Order Unit gardaí. After 6pm, hundreds more, including far-right agitators from outside the county, arrived at the scene. On Monday evening, a Garda car was set alight, and two Dublin Bus vehicles were surrounded as protesters moved towards Coolock Garda station.

At Least 15 Have Been Arrested

Gardaí arrested and charged 15 individuals for public order offenses. They appeared at a special session of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Monday night.

Taoiseach Simon Harris Has Condemned The Violence

Via Instagram, Harris has said: “Throwing petrol bombs and bricks is not protest. It’s thuggery. It’s despicable. And it’ll face the full rigours of the law. Thank you to the Gardai, the emergency services and the local community for their work”

Elsewhere on District: The Global Far-Right are Exploiting a Broken Ireland