LAST UPDATE | 20 Jul
THREE GARDAÍ HAVE been injured and a man has been arrested after public disorder last night around a Coolock site earmarked for the housing of international protection applicants.
A small fire broke out at the site less than 24 hours after emergency services put out another blaze.
A large group gathered at the site yesterday evening, and gardaí said this passed off peacefully.
However, a short time later what gardaí describe as an incident of public disorder occurred along a stretch of the Malahide Road.
A policing operation was in place which included the deployment of uniformed Gardaí and Garda Public Order Unit members with helmets and shields.
A small fire which had also broken out at the same location during this incident was attended to and contained by Dublin Fire Brigade.
A garda spokesperson said gardaí tried to de-escalate the incident but were subjected to both verbal and physical abuse including rocks, concrete bricks and other objects being thrown at them.
This intensified and the spokesperson said gardaí were required to use force to defend themselves.
Gardaí say members then continued to adopt a graduated approach to policing, with enforcement as a last resort. This use of force involved the use of pepper spray and batons.
Three gardaí were injured, and one was transferred to hospital for treatment of facial injuries.
A man in his 20s was arrested and brought to a garda station in Dublin for public order offences.
A section of the Malahide Road which was closed for a period has now fully reopened to motorists.
Meanwhile, gardaí say they are aware of a “significant degree of disinformation and inaccuracy in circulation regarding events at this location”.
A garda spokesperson said it is “advised to independently verify any of this information shared online via social media and/or through messaging apps”.
The spokesperson added that investigations into this and other related incidents are ongoing.
Earlier yesterday, Taoiseach Simon Harris warned that anyone who engages in “thuggery” and breaks the law while taking part in protests at Coolock will “face the full rigour of the law”.
Speaking in Donegal, he said: “In relation to protest, anybody in Ireland is legitimately entitled to protest, it is a key tenet of our democracy and it is something I would always support the right that people have to protest.
“But I have to say what we have seen in recent days has not been that.
“What we have seen in recent days has been an attempt by a relatively small number of people to engage in lawlessness, to engage in thuggery and to engage in criminal activity.
“That is why there have been several arrests, it is why more than 19 people appeared before the courts in recent days.
“It is why a number of people have now been charged with criminal offences.”
On Monday, people clashed with gardaí at the Malahide Road site, resulting in 21 people being charged with public order offences.
A fire was also started there last night, which Dublin Fire Brigade got under control.
In Limerick City, gardaí are investigating a suspected arson attack last night at a building that is to be used for student accommodation.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at the former Railway Hotel, Parnell Street, a historic three-storey building located adjacent to the Treaty City’s Bus and Railway Station.
Gardaí said they are also aware of similar “misinformation” surrounding a fire at a site in Convoy, Co Donegal in the early hours of Thursday morning.
It’s understood that a piece of machinery was set alight in this incident.
-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper
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