Dublin Protest Erupt Over Sexual Assault Of Irish Girl By Illegal Alien

Large-scale protest erupted Tuesday, outside the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin, Ireland, after a 26-year-old African national and illegal alien with a deportation order, was charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old Irish girl who was in state care.

The alleged assault occurred on the grounds of the Citywest Hotel, a former hotel converted into a facility housing asylum seekers, on the night of October 20, 2025. The girl, a ward of the child protection agency Tusla, had reportedly walked away from a supervised outing.

The suspect, who arrived in Ireland six years prior and had his international protection application rejected in 2024, was charged on October 21 and appeared before Blanchardstown District Court, where he deferred his bail application. His name is protected under Irish legal reporting restrictions.

The incident has sparked national outrage, with critics questioning the government's immigration policies and the state's ability to protect vulnerable children.

The protests continued into the following nights, with 23 people arrested on October 23 and police deploying riot units, pepper spray, a helicopter, and a water cannon for the first time in the country.

The demonstration, which began peacefully, quickly turned violent as far-left counter-protesters threw fireworks, flares, rocks, bottles, and wooden boards at Gardaí (Irish police), set a police vehicle on fire, and attempted to breach the police cordon using horse-drawn sulkies. Two officers were injured, one by a bottle to the head and another with a shoulder injury.

The Irish government and police condemned the violence, with Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly describing the actions as "thuggery" and "mob violence" intended to damage the building and intimidate those inside. Interior Minister Michal Martin and Prime Minister Micheál Martin also denounced the attacks on police.

The incident has reignited long-standing tensions over left-wing immigration policies, particularly concerning the rapid expansion of asylum seeker accommodations without local consultation. It follows other recent high-profile crimes involving asylum seekers, including the murder of a 17-year-old Ukrainian and a 17-year-old Somali youth charged with the murder.