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20th July 2024
10:20am BST
Three Gardaí were injured and one man in his 20s was arrested amid further unrest in Coolock on Friday (19 July).
A fire broke out at the former Crown Paints factory in the north Dublin area on Friday evening following a protest against it being used as accommodation for asylum seekers.
This is the second night in a row that there has been a fire at the site.
In a statement about Friday's "public order incident and small fire", a Garda spokesperson said that in the evening, officers attended a large, planned public gathering in Coolock that "passed off peacefully".
A short time later, however, an incident of "public disorder" occurred along a stretch of the Malahide Road.
#Coolock
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) July 19, 2024
Two fire engines from North Strand fire station are currently attending a fire at the former Crown paints site.
The fire is under control and firefighting operations are continuing to extinguish the fire. pic.twitter.com/8AIqYVt32a
"A policing operation was in place which included the deployment of uniformed Gardaí and Garda Public Order Unit members with helmets and shields," the spokesperson added.
"A small fire which had also broken out at the same location during this incident was attended to and contained by Dublin Fire Brigade.
"Throughout the graduated response to de-escalate this incident of public disorder, members of An Garda Síochána were subjected to both verbal and physical abuse including rocks, concrete bricks and other objects being thrown at them.
"As this intensified, Gardaí were required to use force to defend themselves while continuing to adopt a graduated approach to policing, with enforcement as a last resort. This use of force involved the use of incapacitant spray and the ASP baton."
One man in his 20s was arrested and was brought to a Garda Station in Dublin for public order offences.
Three members of An Garda Síochána were also injured, with one member being transferred to hospital for treatment of their facial injuries.
"An Garda Síochána is aware of a significant degree of disinformation and inaccuracy in circulation regarding events at this location – it is advised to independently verify any of this information shared online via social media and/or through messaging apps," the spokesperson added.
"Investigations into this and other related incidents are ongoing."
A previous public order incident in Coolock on Monday of this week was condemned by Taoiseach Simon Harris. You can read his comments here.
Image via Rolling News
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