Three gardaí have been injured and another fire has been lit at a site earmarked to house International Protection applicants in Coolock, Dublin.
One Garda was hospitalized with facial injuries following violent clashes outside the former Crown Paints factory on the Malahide Road on Friday evening.
A small fire also broke out at the former factory earlier on Friday evening, just 24 hours after a separate fire broke out in a suspected arson attack. The latest fire was contained by two units of the Dublin Fire Brigade.
In a statement, An Garda Síochána said gardaí attended a "planned public gathering" in Coolock on Friday evening, which passed off peacefully. More than 1,000 people had gathered at the site to protest against its proposed use as an accommodation center for around 500 International Protection applicants.
However, the Garda Public Order Unit was deployed when some members of the crowd did not disperse, with gardaí subjected to verbal abuse as the situation escalated.
Protesters threw rocks, concrete bricks, and other objects at the Public Order Unit, An Garda Síochána said in a statement.
Gardaí subsequently used pepper spray, riot shields, and batons to clear people from the Malahide Road, which was briefly closed on Friday evening.
A man in his 20s was arrested and taken to a Garda station in Dublin for public order offenses following the violent clashes, while investigations into the incident remain ongoing.
An Garda Síochána also said it is aware of a significant degree of misinformation in relation to Friday night's events and advised people to verify information that they come across online.
Earlier on Friday, more than 1,000 people gathered outside the Crown Paints factory to protest against the site's proposed use as an accommodation center for asylum seekers.
The protest, described by organizers as a peaceful movement, featured speeches from a number of elected officials, including councilors Glen Moore and Malachy Steenson.
Steenson read out a letter condemning gardaí for "heavy-handed tactics" during an earlier protest on Monday morning.
Gardaí reportedly pepper-sprayed a number of protesters on Monday after protesters threw rocks and bottles at gardaí. Protesters also set a number of fires around the Crown Paints factory during Monday's protest and later caused damage to several Garda vehicles.
On Friday, protesters carried banners bearing slogans such as "Irish Lives Matter" and "The Irish People".
Many passing motorists beeped their horns in support of the most recent protest, which was mostly made up of adult protesters but also featured some children and families.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said that everyone has a right to protest but issued a warning to those who "cross the line".
Speaking to reporters in County Donegal, Harris said anyone who engages in "thuggery" will face the "full rigor of the law", adding that there is a big difference between concerned locals in Coolock and people "looking to sow division, damage social cohesion and generally bring fear and mayhem to an area".
"I would always support the rights that people have to protest, but I have to say what we've seen in recent days has not been that, what we have seen in recent days has been an attempt by a relatively small number of people to engage in lawlessness, to engage in thuggery and to engage in criminal activity," Harris said.
"I have a very clear understanding of the difference between protest and lawlessness, between protest and criminality."
A total of 21 people were arrested in connection with Monday's violent protest, while gardaí have launched an investigation into the suspected arson attack on Thursday night.
Thursday's fire, which broke out at around 9 p.m., was contained in the lobby area of one of the factory's disused buildings and did not cause significant damage.
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