Gardaí will maintain a “constant presence” at the Citywest complex following two nights of rioting at the former hotel, which is being used as part of the State’s International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS). The atmosphere at the complex was calmer on Thursday evening as protesters again gathered.
Video footage from officers’ body-worn cameras on Tuesday and Wednesday has been made public. The move is part of an appeal for the public’s assistance in identifying those who rioted in the Citywest area of Dublin on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The footage shows horses being deliberately ridden into lines of gardaí.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents more than 11,000 rank-and-file gardaí, said “a more robust (policing) response is required far earlier” to tackle the “violent thugs” who had rioted and injured gardaí.
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By 8pm on Thursday, about 100 people had gathered outside the hotel entrance on Garter Lane, Saggart. Forty gardaí were positioned just behind a metal barrier that was erected after the first round of intense protests on Tuesday.
Gardaí interacted and conversed with protesters, perhaps hoping to pre-empt any tension. One woman, using a megaphone, addressed her fellow protesters.
“Just want to remind everybody we’re here for a peaceful protest tonight. Anyone who wants to incite violence can go home now,” she said.
The woman lives locally and attended protests on Tuesday and Wednesday. She says they will continue until the IPAS centre is shut down.
The woman complained that hotel facilities, including a gym and swimming pools, have been taken away from the community. She said efforts to speak with Government and local representatives have been ignored.
Elsewhere in the city on Thursday night, a heavy Garda presence policed the area outside the Ipas centre at Basin Lane, Dublin 8. There were no signs of a protest that had been called for on social media platforms.
Between 8pm and 8.50pm, a small crowd of young men gathered, some of whom were live streaming from the scene and urging others to join the protest.
Shortly before 9pm, uniformed gardaí started moving them away from the Ipas centre and in the direction of James’s Street. The men complied with the orders to move but shouted abuse at gardaí as they did so.
After groups of teenagers and young men clashed with gardaí on Wednesday night, Garda headquarters issued a warning to those intent on getting involved. It said “this is not fun and games and entertainment for social media”.
“The choices and reckless decisions you may make, to get involved or caught up in these events, may have serious consequences and adversely affect the course of your future,” it said in a statement on Thursday morning. The two nights of violence resulted in 31 arrests. More arrests are expected to follow.
Chief Superintendent Michael McNulty told a press briefing at Garda headquarters that the force will deploy “a graduated response” to any protest activity planned at the IPAS centre on Thursday night.
This will involve “a constant presence” of uniform gardaí in the Citywest complex, entrance and local area. They will be backed up by the availability of the Garda Public Order Unit with riot shields and batons, the Mounted Unit, Dog Unit and water cannon.
Mr McNulty said the force remains ready for unlawful violent incidents such as those that have taken place over the past two days.
Assistant Garda Commissioner Cliona Richardson said the force assembled a large team which is sorting through video footage and other leads from social media and other resources, and is confident of identifying further participants.
She said further developments could relate to serious charges under the Firearms Act being levelled against those who had been throwing fireworks at gardaí.
Ms Richardson said four gardaí injured in the disturbances have been treated and released from hospital. She also said authorities have concluded that some protesters came from outside Dublin, possibly even from abroad, to attend.
An Garda Síochána also said there has been a “significant impact to local community” and services in the Saggart and Citywest area, particularly with public transport severely affected over the last two nights.
Although up to 1,000 people were outside the Citywest centre on Tuesday night – which houses Ukrainians and international protection applicants – numbers were smaller on Wednesday night.
Gardaí are now engaged in a major investigation, including harvesting footage from CCTV systems in the area and also footage recorded by gardaí using the new bodyworn cameras, which were first rolled out in Dublin last year.
They have released images from those bodyworn cameras – depicting the start of the violence on Tuesday night – in a bid to highlight their appeal to the public to help the investigation team at Clondalkin station identity as many rioters as possible.
Meanwhile, the GRA has described the violence as something that started as a planned public protest and became “an ongoing full-scale threat to the safety of our members and the public” in Dublin.
GRA vice-president Niall Hodgins commended those gardaí who had “held an extremely volatile frontline at Citywest” while “under constant threat of attack”.
“It is our firm belief that these apparent protests are nothing but the continuation of violent riotous behaviour from night to night with the sole intention of causing damage to property and injury to our colleagues who bravely continue to protect the public,” he said.
“We have grave concerns for the safety of our members and colleagues, especially those deployed initially to face these violent thugs prior to the deployment of the public order units.
“It is becoming obvious that a more robust response is required far earlier to ensure no further injuries are inflicted on our members.”
