SIXTEEN PEOPLE ARE to appear in court charged with public order offences at a protest in Dublin yesterday.

Gardaí had arrested 22 people yesterday as part of a policing operation in response to an anti-immigration protest in the city centre.

Those arrested included 14 men and eight women, ranging in age from their 20s to 60s.

Some 16 people were charged, primarily with Public Order Offences, along with charges of assault, criminal damage, and possession of a knife.

One man has already been charged and has appeared before the courts.

Three more people are due to appear before Dublin District Court this morning, while 13 others have been charged and released, with court appearances scheduled over the coming weeks.

Gardaí said the remaining individuals will be dealt with under the Adult Caution scheme.

Gardaí also said that they implemented a graduated policing response to protesters yesterday, with enforcement used “as a last resort”.

A spokesperson said that throughout the day, “gardaí engaged with protesters and directions were given to those that had gathered at O’Connell Bridge to disperse from the area within the hour”.

After protesters had moved from O’Connell Street to Leinster House and back again, they undertook a sit-down protest on O’Connel Bridge at around 5pm. 

“This direction was not adhered to and two Garda Public Order Units were subsequently deployed,” said the Garda spokesperson.

Several anti-immigration protesters were forcibly removed from O’Connell Bridge.