A man who lives close to Citywest Hotel in Saggart has recounted with horror seeing protestors running through his apartment complex looking for weapons.
Last night, hundreds of protestors arrived outside the Dublin hotel after news broke that a man had been charged with an alleged sexual assault in the area.
Some of the protestors wore masks and hurled bricks and bottles at Gardaí.
One female Garda was injured, while six people were arrested - five of whom appeared before the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning.
On Lunchtime Live, local resident Nigel McGuire explained that he had been part of the community’s peaceful Stop Citywest Hotel group and that what he witnessed was “horrific”.
“Last night, I had no intention of moving down to the protest at all,” he said.
“Because this one was not organised by any residents in Saggart; this was the usual suspects outside.”
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Mr McGuire continued that the riots were an “absolute nightmare” and had left locals terrified.
“We realised how boxed in we are in Saggart; we had the riot squad on either side of a small little road going through the village,” he said.
“Once that happened, all the protestors decided to jump into people’s gardens.
“I live in an apartment complex; they were running through the apartment complex here looking for weapons.
“They were trying to get over the wall into the school next door to try and circumvent the riot squad.”
A Garda van burns outside the Citywest Hotel. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie.Mr McGuire added that the scenes of panic and fear he witnessed in Saggart were like “something that you’d see in the movies”.
“I’ve seen parents running through the village trying to get home safely, carrying children in their arms,” he said.
“It was absolutely horrific and something that you’d see in a movie.”
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said he is “determined” that more people will be “brought before the courts to face justice”.
Main image: A Garda vehicle on fire. Picture by: RollingNews.ie.
