Two Gardaí taken to hospital as unrest continues in Citywest

Two gardai hospitalised and 24 protesters arrested

Three members of An Garda Síochána were injured, and two were taken to the hospital for medical treatment, as one garda officer was struck in the head with a bottle while the other sustained an arm and shoulder injury.

Public order gardaí with riot shields were deployed to the hotel for a second night, with gardaí coming under fire from objects thrown from a large crowd of protesters gathered.

The protests follow an alleged sexual assault on a 10-year-old girl in the vicinity of the hotel early Monday morning.

Fireworks, bricks, and other missiles were launched at gardaí again yesterday evening (October 22), leading to the arrest of 24 individuals.

Of those, 17 adults have been charged with public order offences and are due to appear before Court 3 at the Criminal Courts of Justice, Parkgate Street, this morning (October 23).

Additionally, five male juveniles arrested in the course of the incident have been released and will be dealt with under the Youth Diversion Programme. Two other adult males arrested were released without charge, with files being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

During the course of last night’s operation, 15 scooters and e-bikes were seized.

An Garda Síochána is appealing to anyone with information to contact the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.

A policing and security operation remains in place at Citywest as investigations are ongoing.