The number of anti-immigrant protests in Dublin more than doubled last year to over 600.
Members of the Gardaí were before the Oireachtas Justice Committee last night discussing recent arson attacks on International Protection Accommodation Services centres, or locations suspected to be earmarked for IPAS.
11 people have been arrested in connection with arson attacks or criminal damage on the centres since last May.
Meanwhile garda bosses say the number of officers trained in public order tactics in the Dublin region has increased from 294 in 2022 to 619.
Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis says one way of measuring the rise in anti-immigration sentiment is the rise in protests;
"So in 2022 we had just over 300 protests recorded in the DMR alone, by 2023 that had increased over 100 per cent up to 617 protests."
