For the past six months, Barry O'Kelly of RT Investigates has been filming at protests against accommodation for migrants. The programme to be broadcast tonight features views from protesters, experts on policing and political movements, and individuals developing sites for accommodation. It documents how fierce opposition has developed at certain sites, and sometimes spun out of control.
At protests at several locations the programme documents people with genuine concerns about the availability of local services - for them, and asylum seekers and others with more hardline outlooks.
On Monday 15 July, RT Investigates was inside the former Crown Paints site in Coolock as one of the largest anti-immigration protests nationwide to date exploded into rioting. The site entrance had been blocked for more than 100 days by protesters, who had set up a camp with wooden huts, couches, fridges and storage areas.Footage from the early hours in the morning captured the events that unfolded over the subsequent hours, as protests turned ever more violent with pictures of fires and clashes circulated around the world.
The dramatic footage documents the racial abuse and intimidation of workers on the Coolock site and shows how the site was overcome with agitators with one security officer knocked unconscious.
One man told the security staff: I'm going to find out where each and every one of youse live. Don't think we won't find you, cause we fking will. I've found worse c*s than you.
Another man said: You'll get f**king shot here. Making a gesture of a gun pointed to his head, he said: Bang, bang. That's what happens.
The programme documents how the crowd at the entrance grew as the early morning wore on. Go back to your country. The fences won't hold you. Dublin says no. Get the f**k out, you're a different breed.
Burn, baby burn, one man chanted in what proved to be a prophetic comment as the cameras later captured the moment a petrol bomb was thrown on site.
The programme documents the security team and the staff at the Coolock site continuously calling the Garda looking for help as they were essentially under siege.
The cameras captured agitators - some armed with poles roamed through the site, threatening and chasing after security workers, smashing windows, stealing beds, and most-visibly, setting fire to a digger. A member of the security team was hit in the head when a large pole was thrown in his direction. He was in and out of consciousness when paramedics arrived.
Outside the site entrance hours after calls had first been made about the growing violence the Garda public order units returned several hours after initially clearing the entrance to the site that morning. It was early evening before order was fully restored in the area.
In a statement to RT Investigates, An Garda S och na said the policing operation undertaken in Coolock, as with any event involving public disorder, was centred on a graduated approach and a strong tradition of policing by consent . It said over 200 members were deployed during the operation and a full investigation is now underway including the review of 3,000 hours of CCTV footage with 34 arrests having been made to date. It added three Garda were injured on the day.
Protests continued nightly over the following days. The site has been set on fire multiple times since. The developer of the site Paul Collins, spoke to RT Investigates revealing that he left the country amidst fears for his safety and that of his family.
Mr Collins has already installed houses for asylum seekers elsewhere, but he says the opposition to his plan for the north Dublin site has been different.
I'm not a guy that you easily frighten, but it's definitely more frightening, he said.
I don't understand in the sense of, you know, the hands on, the hands-off approach [by the Garda ]. Is there a law or is there not?
The former Crown Paints site is just one of 200 around the country designated for accommodating asylum applicants by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS).
Some 400 people have been arriving weekly since February seeking international protection almost double last year's figure. This year alone, a total of 25,000 people are expected to make applications for asylum, bringing the total number since 2019 to 50,000.
With the growing numbers comes a growing demand for temporary accommodation and many local communities protesting their opposition to these being located in their communities for varying reasons.
Some experts have called for law and order reform to deal with the issue. However, others have warned the problems run deeper than that.
Dr Barry Cannon of the Department of Sociology in Maynooth University said, I would resist reducing it to a public order element, .
There is a very large amount of people which feel very disenfranchised and cannot be ignored in this battle for hearts and minds.
RT Investigates- Inside the Protests, tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
ENDS
Date: 19 September, 2024
Contact: Sharon Brady, Senior Communications Manager, RT | Sharon.brady@rte.ie
Europe Stories
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
25. November 2025 Cecilia Pierron
Last week, we took part in OnDAM 2025, an educational conference fully dedicated to DAM, hosted by Activo Consulting. The ...
25/11/2025
25 Nov 2025
VEON's QazCode and MeetKai Sign Agreement to Power National LLM...
25/11/2025
UKTV has acquired a high-profile slate of US dramas from Paramount Global Conten...
25/11/2025
A symphony of genius, rivalry and vengeance, boldly reimagined from Peter Shaffe...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Cinematography World
Read the article
FilmLight has finalised the prestigious 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards jury and welcomed award-winning...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Prensario
Read the article
La serie fue dirigida por Juli n de Tavira, Rodrigo Santos, y David Leche Ruiz, con direcci n de fotograf a a...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
Read the article
The awards, celebr...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Televisual
Read the article
Already live in Los Angeles and rolling out in New York and London, Nara gives producers, colourists, conform ...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Digital Media World
Read the article
ARTONE post-house in Tokyo is the first facility in Japan to integrate Baselight M, choosing its prec...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
Read the article
Once hidden in post-production suites, the artists who make movies and TV shows look the way they ...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Deadline
Read the article
The Brutalist' & Bad Bunny's Nuevayol' Music Video Among 2025 FilmLight Colour Award Winners - Cam...
24/11/2025
Robyn made her long-awaited return to the stage this week, as Spotify and Acne Studios brought friends and top fans together for an unforgettable evening at the...
24/11/2025
After more than two years of redevelopment, FC Barcelona returned to its spiritual home on November 22, hosting Athletic Club in the first La Liga match at the ...
24/11/2025
24 Nov 2025
Kyivstar Launches Starlink Direct to Cell Satellite Connectivity in Ukraine Today's Launch Makes Ukraine the First Country in Europe Where Star...
24/11/2025
Ahead of the new ninth series of Dancing with the Stars, kicking off in January 2026, RT and Shinawil have announced the arrival of three new faces to the hit ...
21/11/2025
Fans have been counting down the days until the final theatrical chapter of Wicked is revealed. To celebrate the highly anticipated release of Wicked: For Good ...
21/11/2025
Last week, Spotify turned up the volume in Seoul with the return of Spotify Hous...
21/11/2025
Wiesbaden, November 21, 2025. The SGL Carbon site in Meitingen has reason to celebrate as one of its trainees received a special award. Elias Stemmer was honore...
21/11/2025
Sky Media's £2m award-winning sustainability initiative crowns its first charity as this year's standout changemakerFriday 21 November 2025
GoodGym nam...
21/11/2025
As COP30 draws to a close, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ...
20/11/2025
Your playlists are personal. They're the soundtracks to your road trips, your quiet mornings, and your biggest celebrations; collections of memories and dis...
20/11/2025
Spotify, uzun s redir zerine al t T rk m zik k lt r n n ikon haline gelmi ...
20/11/2025
For the first time, Spotify has teamed up with The Hollywood Reporter to cohost ...
20/11/2025
This year's ARIA Awards marked a turning point for Australian music, and Spotify was right at the heart of it. For the first time in the awards' nearly ...
20/11/2025
15 March 2012
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Cinegy and Vericom are pleased to announce the recent deployment of Cinegy Archive for production and as...
20/11/2025
6 September 2012
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
FIC Turkey supplies media content to Pay TV under Fox TV Channel brands in Turkey.
At the start of s...
20/11/2025
25 June 2014
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Last month VIVA finalized its Cinegy installation in order to produce and broadcast the World Cup Brazil ...
20/11/2025
1 October 2014
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
With 5 locations spread out around Baden-W rttemberg, Schw bisch Media required a scalable end to end s...
20/11/2025
27 April 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Cinegy, which develops and produces media asset management products that are used in flagship production...
20/11/2025
12 August 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 26 October 2015 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital ...
20/11/2025
5 November 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany 3 November 2015 - Cinegy, which develops and produces software technology for digital ...
For the past six months, Barry O'Kelly of RT Investigates has been filming at protests against accommodation for migrants. The programme to be broadcast tonight features views from protesters, experts on policing and political movements, and individuals developing sites for accommodation. It documents how fierce opposition has developed at certain sites, and sometimes spun out of control.
