Coolock disturbances result of 'misinformation and disinformation' says garda Commissioner
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris commended gardaí for dealing with 'very volatile and difficult situation for over 12 hours'
"Unacceptable" is how Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has described the disturbances in Coolock that saw almost 20 people arrested outside a site earmarked to accommodate asylum seekers on Monday.
Fifteen people appeared in court charged with a range of public order offences after major disturbances erupted at a site designated to house asylum seekers in the north Dublin suburb.
Thirteen men and two women appeared before a late night sitting at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Monday night, July 16.
Four more people are due to appear in court later this Tuesday.
A large-scale security operation continued throughout the day and evening after gardaí clashed with protesters at the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock.
More than 200 members of An Garda Síochána were deployed in response to the disturbances, including frontline uniformed members supported by Public Order Gardaí.
During the protest, mattresses and an excavator were set alight, fireworks and other objects were thrown at gardaí, and security guards at the site were injured, with one being taken to hospital.
In a statement, the Garda Commissioner said the disturbances were fuelled by "misinformation and disinformation" on social media.
"This has been a difficult policing day. What we have seen today was unacceptable. We have seen attacks on Gardaí, criminal damage and offences of serious public disorder.
"All of these will be fully investigated. We have 15 people charged and we will have further charges overnight," Commissioner Harris continued.
"I would like to comment on how well members of An Garda Síochána, including local gardaí and Public Order units dealt with a very volatile and difficult situation for over 12 hours.”
Fianna Fail Councillor for nearby Donaghmede Daryl Barron condemned the scenes at the former Crown Paints site on Tuesday's Morning Ireland, but also criticised the Department of Integration for failing to engage with local representatives on plans for the site.
The last meeting between representatives from the Department and local groups was as far back as April, according to Cllr Barron, who is a member of the North Central Area Committee.
In a statement, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she was "appalled at the violent scenes in Coolock", saying such "thuggish criminal behaviour has no place in our society".
"The Garda Commissioner has kept me updated throughout the day and he has assured me that everything will be done to bring those responsible to justice.
"What we have seen today does not represent the decent communities of Coolock and surrounding areas," Minister McEntee said.