Protests in Dublin after alleged rape of a girl by foreigners

Anti-immigration protesters set fire to a police vehicle and attacked officers in west Dublin on Tuesday evening while protesting outside a building housing asylum seekers.

According to the Irish Times newspaper, more than 500 people gathered at the scene. The protesters carried Irish flags and banners with anti-migrant slogans.

According to police, a man in the area was charged in connection with an assault on a minor girl. The leader of the opposition party Sinn Féin noted that a deportation order had already been issued against the man in March of this year. The Minister of Justice called for a review of the asylum process.

As DublinLive reported, the suspect is from Africa and is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl early Monday morning. According to information from RTE, the child is under the care of the State Child and Family Services. It is currently unclear how the girl ended up in the complex where she does not live.

The state has been renting the Citywest complex since 2020 – initially as part of the COVID-19 response, later as a transit and accommodation center for people fleeing the war in Ukraine and for those seeking international protection.

(reuters, dublin live, rte, max)