WATCH: Anti-immigrant protests erupt in Dublin; demonstrators clash with cops, burn vehicle — Here's why

At least 1,000 demonstrators have clashed with cops during an anti-immigration protest in southwest Dublin, the capital city of the Republic of Ireland, where they threw bottles and launched fireworks at officials. The protest erupted and sparked a row after a 10-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a 26-year-old man on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, which houses asylum applicants in Saggart, southwest of the Irish capital.

The unnamed man, who appeared in court on Tuesday, has been charged in connection with the sexual assault case. According to local media reports, the accused, who requested a Romanian interpreter in court, is believed to be an asylum seeker. However, police have not confirmed his nationality or ethnicity, according to a report in Al Jazeera.

The victim, a young girl, was reportedly under state care when the incident occurred. Ireland’s child and family agency, Tusla, said she had “absconded” during an outing to the city centre and was later reported missing.

Police van set on fire

In response to the incident, protests surrounded the ground areas of the hotel on Tuesday, including an anti-immigrant demonstration. The protestors also held signs that read “Irish lives matter”, and chanted, “Get them out!”

When cops charged at them using pepper spray to drive them away from the hotel complex, protesters set a police van on fire, as per the report by news agency AFP. “The weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected,” Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said in response to the protests. “This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response," he added.

Earlier in the day, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin described the incident as “extremely serious and deeply concerning.” Tuesday’s unrest followed almost two years after riots erupted in central Dublin in November 2023, following a knife attack outside a school that left three children injured. At that time, police had identified the suspect as a man in his 50s from Algeria.