Three gardaí have been injured and a man has been arrested after a new outbreak of violence at an anti-immigration protest in Coolock last night.
Gardaí were called to the scene of a fire at the former Crown Paints site, as violence broke out after an earlier, peaceful protest attended by more than a thousand people.
The Garda Public Order Unit, wearing helmets and shields, was deployed to the scene.
A section of the Malahide Road closed briefly, after gardaí were subjected to both verbal and physical abuse, with stones and concrete bricks among the items thrown at them.
One garda has been transferred to hospital for treatment for facial injuries.
In a statement following the incident, a Garda spokesperson said;
"As this intensified, Gardaí were required to use force to defend themselves while continuing to adopt a graduated approach to policing, with enforcement as a last resort.
"This use of force involved the use of incapacitant spray and the ASP baton."
Dublin Fire Brigade says two fire engines from North Strand fire station attended the fire at the site which it contained.
The Malahide Road has since fully reopened.
The old Crown Paints site has been the focus of protests for months, after it emerged it's been earmarked for use as asylum seeker accommodation.
A section of the Malahide Road which was closed for a time has now fully reopened.
The man in his 20s who was arrested for alleged public order offences has since been released without charge.
"It has to stop."
Local Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin says the violence has to stop;
"People who keep us safe, people who work in the fire service, people who work in An Garda Síochána have been put in harm's way because of this violence, and it has stop.
"People are entitled to have their view, they're entitled to protest.
"But at the same time, what we're having is a lot of tension, a lot of negativity, a lot of fear as well.
"I do feel that people, at this point, really do need to step back."
