Dublin protest LIVE: Ireland braces for more asylum seeker hotel chaos after violent demo

Six people have been arrested in Dublin after a protest outside an asylum seeker hotel on Tuesday evening turned violent. The protest outside the Citywest Hotel, in Saggart, came after an alleged sexual assault on a girl in the vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.

Protesters were displaying Irish flags, chanting anti-immigration slogans and throwing missiles. Garda cordons sustained attacks including physical violence, bricks thrown and fireworks discharged at gardai, as well as the burning of a Garda van.

There were also attempts to charge the Garda line with horse-drawn sulky carts. Meanwhile, a Garda helicopter overhead was targeted with lasers.

It was the second night in a row a protest has been held outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. Monday night's demonstration passed without significant incident.

Several thousand people had gathered close to the Citywest hotel, Irish Broadcaster RTÉ reported.

Irish premier Micheal Martin condemned the scenes of violence, stating there could be "no justification" for attacks on gardai. Members of the Garda public order unit were deployed during the disturbances.

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