A volatile politics is taking to the streets
Fearing a riot, the Irish authorities yesterday evening shut down the Luas tram line from central Dublin to the suburban village of Saggart, southwest of the city centre. It didn’t work. Many hundreds — perhaps a thousand — angry protestors had gathered outside the gates of the Citywest IPAS (asylum) centre, hurling missiles and abuse at the Gardai public order unit blocking them from forcing their way up the long and wooded drive to the hotel.
The day before, an African asylum seeker had been charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year old Irish girl on the grounds of the Citywest centre, a 2,500-bed hotel recently acquired at vast expense by the Irish government, against fierce local opposition in the 4,500-strong community. The suspect, who needed an Arabic translator, was issued with a deportation order this spring and hadn’t yet been removed; the victim, in the care of Ireland’s scandal-hit Tusla child protection agency, found her chaotic personal circumstances publicised by the state in a manner many on social media saw as tantamount to victim-blaming. Outside the IPAS centre, the toxic combination had fired up both locals and protestors from across the country, who now had very little time for Ireland’s main political parties, or the police forces standing between them and the hotel they wished to storm.
Our new friends from the #CitywestHotel drinking on the grounds of our primary school yesterday, An Garda Síochána had to move them. @OCallaghanJim this is not acceptable in our small village, what is the long term plan here? because we will not stop highlighting the issues. pic.twitter.com/Ec0bYAsfsi
— Stop Citywest Hotel (@stopcitywest) October 17, 2025
HOLY SH*T: Thousands of Irish citizens hit the street directly outside the “city-west hotel” in Dublin.
This is the hotel that housed a migrant who allegedly raped a 10 year old Irish girl yesterday.
The Irish truly have had enough. pic.twitter.com/oZu16hDbax
— Sonel (@allthingabsurd) October 22, 2025
