Protesters set fire to a police car and threw glass bottles at officers in Dublin, Ireland, on Tuesday evening after an illegal migrant was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old Irish girl in state care.
The violence erupted outside the City West Hotel, a sprawling former hotel turned migrant center, where an illegal migrant – who had a deportation notice against him – is accused of attacking the girl late Sunday night.
Irish police An Garda Síochána said six people were arrested during the clashes and a female police officer suffered a foot injury.
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Bystanders film a burning Garda vehicle during a demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, which turned violent in Saggart, south-west Dublin, on October 21, 2025. Riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters following allegations that a 10-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted. (Peter Murphy/AFP via Getty Images)
Police said their officers were subject to “sustained attacks” while trying to cordon off the building. Nearly 300 police officers were dispatched to the area in Saggart.
Some protesters waved Irish flags, while others shouted: “Get them out, get them out,” referring to the 2,000 migrants living in the shelter.
Police said protesters threw hundreds of empty glass bottles from nearby dumpsters and rocks at officers, while fireworks were also shot off. A police helicopter was shot with lasers, a spokesman said.
Men on horseback tried to break police lines by attacking police, police said. Police used pepper spray as they tried to disperse the crowd.
“An Garda Síochána facilitates peaceful protests on a daily basis. This was clearly not a peaceful protest,” Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said in a statement. “Tonight’s actions can only be described as criminal behaviour. This was a gang bent on violence against gardaí.”
A protester films a Garda vehicle bursting into flames during violent clashes outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Saggart, south-west Dublin, on October 21, 2025. (Peter Murphy/AFP via Getty Images)
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin condemned the attacks on police, saying there was “no justification for the vile abuse against them”.
On Wednesday, he said the girl who was allegedly raped was not protected by the state and that the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack were “deeply concerning.”
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The victim was in the care of the child protection agency, known as ‘Tusla’, who said she evaded staff during a planned recreational trip in the city centre. It is unclear how she came into contact with the suspect.
The suspect, in his twenties, is originally from Africa, according to the Irish Mirror. He arrived in Ireland six years ago but failed to submit his application for international protection in 2024. According to the Irish Times, he was deported in March.
The incident took place on the grounds of Citywest, a former hotel that has housed migrants seeking international protection in recent years.
The Irish government bought the hotel in September for around $150 million with the aim of turning it into a permanent migrant facility, despite several protests from locals.
A protester waves the Irish flag in front of riot police on October 21, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. Protesters gathered outside the Citywest Hotel after police arrested a stranger in connection with the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl. (Getty Images)
Tensions over mass immigration have continued to rise since November 2023, when hundreds of rioters looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw stones at police officers after three young children were stabbed outside a school, allegedly by an Algerian-born suspect who had become an Irish citizen.
Last week, a 17-year-old Ukrainian was murdered just days after coming to Ireland and being placed in a Tusla asylum. A Somali youth, also an asylum seeker and described as a minor, has been charged with murder, according to RTE News.
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According to the Irish Independent, a homeless stranger was arrested last week and charged with the murder of an 89-year-old Irish woman.
On Friday, the Irish will go to the polls to elect a new president.
