Garda Public Order Unit clears protesters from Coolock site amid more violent scenes

Demonstrators returned to the former Crown Paints warehouse on the Malahide Road on Tuesday morning after they were removed from the grounds of the building the day before.

Large concrete boulders were delivered to the entrance of the former makeshift campsite which was set up in March by demonstrators hoping to stop the arrival of asylum seekers. 

A small number of protesters wearing balaclavas draped themselves in the Irish flag and waved at cars throughout the day.

However, by 6pm tensions began to rise in the area for a second night as more protesters joined the crowds on the Malahide Road. By 8pm more than 100 garda were lining the main roads in the area.

Protesters then blocked the right side of the road forcing it to close and causing traffic delays for motorists.

Dozens of young men and women wore plastic shields across their faces, in order to protect themselves from being pepper sprayed should the Public Order Unit arrive on the scene again.

The air unit circled overhead for most of the evening while protesters continued to taunt gardaí by shouting abuse at them.

At around 8.20pm a group of men walked into the middle of the road and shouted to gardaí “go and fuck yourselves, see how you like this”.

Two men let off thick black smoke bombs in the middle of the Malahide Road and within minutes the public order units arrived and parked opposite them.

“Fucking leg it,” a young man shouted, before the crowds began to sprint from the area towards the Cadbury Chocolate factory.

The Public Order unit climbed out of their vans and formed a line across the road. They could be heard loudly directing each other before they charged towards the crowds and began tackling the protesters.

People jumped over walls and ditches as the uniformed garda members walked with their plastic shields and equipment towards them.

Protesters could be heard shouting “scumbags” and “Ireland for the Irish” as well as “You’ll never beat the Irish” as the unit continued to make its way towards them.

Members of the public were told to stay off the road, and cars remained diverted during the operation by gardaí.

Men and women ran in all direction and a swarm of gardaí continued to run towards them, stopping for a period of time before moving everyone on.

People fell on the roads as they tried to run, while others were heard screaming.

By 9pm the entire main road on both sides was cleared but members of the public, some from the area, continued to shout obscenities to the gardaí.

One man livestreamed the gardaí and quoted the law and his rights to them non-stop for over an hour.

The roads reopened again in Coolock just after 9pm, but protesters remained at the scene and returned to their makeshift campsite outside the former Crown Paints warehouse as tensions died down.

By 10pm a heavy garda presence as well as the air unit remained at the scene and protesters quietened.

In a statement Gardaí said “uniformed Gardaí and public order units have been deployed along the Malahide Road in Dublin 17.

“The Malahide Road was closed for a short period. It re-opened just before 9pm. No injuries have been reported and no arrests have been made at this time.

“Gardaí remain at the scene.”