Dublin protest LIVE: Ireland braces for more asylum seeker hotel chaos after violent demo

A female Garda member was injured during the violence but has since been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a foot injury.

Nearly 300 members of An Garda Siochana, Ireland's national police and security service, were on duty in response to the public disorder.

This included more than 125 uniformed gardai, 150 members of the public order unit and a water cannon, which was not ultimately used.

Mounted and dog units also attended, supported by members in the Air Support Unit and the Garda regional control rooms.

The Garda said public order units were deployed in full protective equipment and utilised pepper spray to "repel sustained physical attacks".

A senior investigating officer has been appointed to probe the incident.

Ireland's Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan has said those involved in the violence outside the Citywest Hotel will be brought to justice.

"People threw missiles at gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire," he said.

"This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the gardai.

"Those involved will be brought to justice."

Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris said: "I condemn the violent attacks on members of An Garda Siochana outside Citywest last night.

"There is understandable shock and horror right across our country over the alleged incident that is now before the courts. The full facts must and will be established as people rightly expect.

"But there is no excuse for this type of violence and thuggery against the men and women who serve to protect us and victims of crime every day."

Acting Deputy Garda Commissioner Paul Cleary said the force would be "relentless in our pursuit of those involved" in the disorder, which he said had been orchestrated online.

"We know that even though people may have been wearing hoods or masks, we still have the ability to identify them and bring them before the courts, and we will pursue that relentlessly," he told RTE's Morning Ireland.

He said Tuesday night's protest included a mix of some peaceful protesters, youths on horses and scramblers and "violent thugs who were there purely to incite violence and promote fear".

Mr Cleary said that such incidents are "very dynamic and dangerous", and while gardai are prepared, "you can never prepare for everything".

"The fact that we were able to bring the incident under control within approximately two and a half hours ... I think one of the main objectives was to prevent spread and we did that."

He said of the Garda van that was burnt out: "When you have control it doesn't mean you have zero damage.

"What we witnessed last night went far beyond protest. It was a violent riot driven by thugs intent on violence, and it wasn't just an attack on gardai, it was an attack on community safety, and we won't tolerate that."

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin condemned the scenes of violence, stating there could be "no justification" for attacks on gardai.

Mr Martin said he had been briefed on the violence.

"I pay tribute to the frontline gardai who acted courageously and quickly to restore order," he said.

"The Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner have briefed me on the operation, and I thank everyone for their work.

"An Garda Siochana protect us all and have a proud tradition of service to the Irish people.

"There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people."

Five men have been charged with public order offences following violent clashes outside the hotel, which is housing asylum seekers.

The men, two of whom are aged in their 50s and three in their 40s, are due to appear before the city's Criminal Courts of Justice later on Wednesday morning.

A total of six people were arrested amid the disturbances at the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday night.

A woman in her 50s who was detained has since been released without charge pending a file being prepared for Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions.

Irish police have condemned the scenes at Citywest as "thuggery" and "an attempt to intimidate".

A Garda spokesperson said yesterday: "This evening, members of An Garda Síochána on duty at a public gathering at Citywest were subjected to sustained levels of violence. This was not a peaceful protest. The violence exhibited was thuggery and an attempt to intimidate and injure.

"During the evening there were sustained attacks on Garda Cordons, including physical violence, bricks thrown and fireworks discharged at Garda members and the arson of a Garda van.

"Bins with hundreds of used glass bottles in the area were emptied and contents used as missiles. Attempts to breach the Garda cordon were also made by charging the line with horse drawn sulkies. Individuals were observed carrying implements such as garden forks and tools and damaging walls in the locality to obtain missiles.

"The Garda helicopter was targeted with lasers. One member of An Garda Síochána has received medical attention for a foot injury. Six persons have been arrested, primarily for Public Order Offences.

"An Garda Síochána had a policing operation in place for this public gathering organised by disparate groups on social media, who stir up hatred and violence and encourage and entice others to get involved.

"Over the course of the evening nearly 300 members of An Garda Síochána were on duty, including over 125 uniform members, 150 Public Order members, Water Cannon, Mounted Unit and Dog Unit supported by members in Air Support Unit and Regional Control rooms.

"Units across the Dublin Region were supported by colleagues from the Garda Eastern Region. An Garda Síochána Public Order Incident Command policy was implemented.

"Garda Public Order Units were deployed in full protective equipment and utilised Incapacitant spray to repel sustained physical attacks on Garda Lines. An investigation has been commenced and a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed."

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who visited the scene in the aftermath of the violence, said: "This was obviously not a peaceful protest. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against Gardai.

"I utterly condemn the attacks on gardai who did their jobs professionally and with great courage to keep people safe."

He added: "We will now begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice."