In a tense escalation of unrest, a police car was set ablaze and glass bottles were thrown at law enforcement officers in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday night. The violence followed the arrest of an undocumented migrant accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old Irish girl who was under state protection.

The incident took place outside the City West Hotel, a large facility repurposed as a migrant center. The suspect, who had been ordered to leave the country, allegedly attacked the young girl late Sunday night, sparking outrage among locals.

According to An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force, six individuals were taken into custody during the disturbances, and a female officer sustained a foot injury amid the chaos.

Footage captured by bystanders showed a Garda vehicle engulfed in flames, marking a dramatic turn in the protest outside the migrant housing facility in Saggart, southwest of Dublin, on October 21, 2025. The demonstration, which involved hundreds of participants, erupted in response to the reported assault on the child.

Authorities reported that officers faced “sustained attacks” as they attempted to secure the area. Nearly 300 police personnel were deployed to manage the situation in Saggart.

Protesters were seen brandishing Irish flags, while chants of “Get them out, get them out” echoed, targeting the approximately 2,000 migrants residing at the center.

Police said protesters hurled hundreds of empty glass bottles from nearby garbage containers and bricks at officers, while fireworks were also discharged. A police helicopter was targeted with lasers, a spokesperson said.

Men on horseback attempted to breach police lines by charging at law enforcement, police said. Police used pepper spray as they tried to disperse the crowd.

“An Garda Síochána facilitates peaceful protests on a daily basis. This was obviously not a peaceful protest,” Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said in a statement. “The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against Gardaí.”

A protester films as a Garda vehicle burns during violent clashes outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Saggart, southwest Dublin, on Oct. 21, 2025. (Peter Murphy / AFP via Getty Images)

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin condemned the attacks on police and said there was “no justification for the vile abuse against them.”

On Wednesday, he said the girl who was allegedly raped had not been protected by the state and the circumstances around the alleged attack are of “deep concern.”

The victim was in the care of child protection services, known as “Tusla,” which said she had absconded from staff during a planned recreational trip in the city center. It is unclear how she got in contact with the suspect.

The suspect, who is in his 20s, is originally from Africa, according to the Irish Mirror. He arrived in Ireland six years ago and failed his application for international protection in 2024 and was ordered deported in March, according to the Irish Times.

The incident took place on the grounds of Citywest, a former hotel which for the last few years has been housing migrants seeking international protection. 

The Irish government bought the hotel in September for around $150 million with the aim of turning it into a permanent migrant facility despite several protests by locals.

A protester waves the Irish flag in front of riot police on Oct. 21, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland. Demonstrators gathered outside the Citywest Hotel after police arrested a foreign national in connection with the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl.  (Getty Images)

Tensions around mass immigration continue to bubble since November 2023 when hundreds of rioters looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw rocks at police officers after three young children were stabbed outside a school allegedly by an Algerian-born suspect who had become an Irish citizen.

Last week, a 17-year-old Ukrainian was murdered just days after he came to Ireland and was placed in asylum care operated by Tusla. A Somalian youth, also an asylum seeker and described as a minor, has been charged with his murder, according to RTE News.

A homeless foreign national was arrested and charged last week with the murder of an 89-year-old Irish woman, per the Irish Independent.

On Friday, Irish people go to the polls to elect a new president.