A Garda was injured and 13 people were arrested following a night of unrest on Wednesday outside a site in Dublin earmarked to house asylum seekers, just one day after anti-refugee protesters "impeded" efforts to bring International Protection Applicants there.
Throughout the day, videos circulated online showing people, many of whom appear to be children gathered outside the gate of the property, with some sitting on chairs blocking the entrance, and some had Irish flags draped over them. Banners reading “Get Them Out, Get Them Out” and “No Unvetted Migrants” could be seen hanging along the fence on either side of the gate to the centre in Ballyogan. One woman was carrying a mirror, asking Garda if he could "look at himself in the mirror".
Throughout the evening into the night, unrest at the site continued leading to a further nine arrests, five men and four women, as protesters were seen banging on the gates and shouting. While access to the site was impeded by a protest on Tuesday, with further protests taking place outside the centre on Wednesday, the Department has told the Irish Mirror that it remains "committed to utilising Ballyogan as stated".