Dublin, Ireland – A video posted on X by Richard McDermott on October 21, 2025, captures a tense standoff outside Citywest Hotel, which houses asylum seekers.

Between 200 and 300 protesters, many waving Irish flags and wearing hoodies or hi-vis vests, confronted roughly 50–60 Gardaí in riot gear behind barriers. The crowd filmed the scene on phones and showed signs of escalation.

Objects were thrown and flashes seen, and bricks, bottles and fireworks were used against police, though full-scale clashes did not occur in the footage. The unrest followed allegations that a 26-year-old man connected to the IPAS centre sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl the previous day.

The protest turned violent, producing six arrests and a Garda van set alight. Political leaders condemned the violence as “thuggery,” with calls for accountability and demands to close the centre and deport suspects echoing amid wider tensions over migrant housing and crime.

Cleanup operations were carried out the next day.

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