People in the area are "heartbroken" the attack occurred, said one protester.
Around 150 people gathered in Ashtown yesterday for an anti-racism and anti-violence protest after a migrant camp in the area was attacked by a number of men over the weekend.
The attackers were armed with sticks and a baseball bat, and some had dogs with them.
According to the Irish Times between six and eight men – Polish, Croatian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Indian and Scottish – had been living at the camp since August without incident until the attack, after which they abandoned the site.
The now abandoned migrant site, image via RollingNews.ie
Protesters in Ashtown yesterday evening carried signs reading “Racist attacks not in our name” and "Ashtown: A diverse community that rejects racism".
Protesters gathered in Ashtown last night, via RollingNews.ie
Speaking to the Times, protester Terry O’Connor said he “felt embarrassed” about the attack on migrants and “felt the need to come out and protest it”.
Protester Eddie McCabe, who lives nearby in Finglas said:
“Ashtown and the wider Dublin 15 area is a very diverse community and clearly lots of these people will live in fear as a result of what’s happened, that they could also be victims of racist attacks. For those people and for all of society, we have to make it very clear we will not tolerate racists and far-right organisers.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described the attack as "
very disturbing" and said he would seek a report from gardaí as it requires a full investigation.
Header image via RollingNews.ie
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