Irish government condemns arson attack against asylum housing

Multiple people were evacuated after an arson attack at a building housing asylum seekers in a town north of Dublin, Irish officials said Saturday, condemning the “deeply disturbing incident.”

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said fireworks were thrown into the building housing international protection applicants in Drogheda, a town 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Dublin, on Friday night.

“This was a terrifying ordeal for the women and children living there, a number of whom were taken to hospital,” O’Callaghan said in a statement on X, adding that a police investigation was underway.

Four children and one adult had to be rescued from the top floor of the building, according to local media reports.

The incident comes amid rising anti-immigration sentiment in Ireland and neighboring Britain, with hotels and buildings housing asylum seekers a common flashpoint for protests and riots.

Dozens of people were arrested last month during a series of protests outside an asylum seeker hotel in southwest Dublin, some of which turned violent.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the deeply disturbing incident,” Irish prime minister Micheal Martin said of Friday’s attack.

“To put vulnerable families, including young children, at risk is abhorrent and has no place in our society.”