Five charged following attacks on gardaí at proposed refugee site in Wicklow

Five people have been charged in connection with attacks on gardaí last night outside a premises in Co Wicklow that has been earmarked for the accommodation of refugees.

Three men and one woman will appear in the district court later today charged with alleged public order offences, while another man has also been charged with alleged offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

One juvenile male who was arrested last night has been released without charge, and a referral is being prepared for the Youth Diversion Project in accordance with the Children Act 2001.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has condemned last night’s events and said gardaí were “charged with upholding the laws of the land and they should be supported in doing so”.

“This is a country of laws. Attacks on gardaí should be condemned by all,” he added.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris visited the location Newtownmountkennedy this morning, and described the scenes that unfolded as “very unacceptable”.

Gardai rushed to the scene of a disturbance outside a site set to host refugees

“We’ve seen an attempt to burn a small outhouse-type premises, but also then, disgracefully, attacks on members of An Garda Síochána who were attacked with stones and indeed vehicles have been damaged, and one vehicle, the vehicle behind me, was damaged with an axe,” he said.

Commissioner Harris said both the front and rear windows of one Garda vehicle had been smashed with an axe – “not a hatchet, a full-size axe” – while the tyres of another car were slashed.

He added that there were also attempts to injure gardaí as rubble and rocks were thrown from adjacent fields, and they were forced to defend themselves with public order equipment and shields.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Helen McEntee told Newstalk that she did not believe that anyone who saw images of last night’s events would disagree with the actions of gardaí.

Assistance was provided by members of An Garda Síochána Public Order Unit

She said people did not have a right to prevent someone from entering their property, from going to work, or from developing a site that they own.

“When you have gardaí doing their job, helping to clear a site so that somebody can get on to it then coming under attack, they have to respond,” said Ms McEntee.

“In particular for this site, they have cleared it a number of times, they have been there, they have managed it, but it did escalate last night to a situation where you had gardaí coming under fire, where you had gardaí being attacked, and six people were arrested.

“I don’t think anybody looking at pictures from last night would disagree with the approach that the gardaí have taken,” she said.

“You cannot have a situation where somebody cannot get on their site, where a person cannot go to work, where a person cannot cross a line because others decide that they’re not going to let you.”

Last night’s incident reportedly occurred after gardaí on duty outside the premises at Newtownmountkennedy came under attack.

Assistance was provided by members of An Garda Síochána Public Order Unit and approximately 50 members remained at the scene on Thursday evening.

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