Misinformation spread rapidly on far-right social media accounts after the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in Saggart, west Dublin, on Monday.
Following a series of posts by well-known Irish agitators – amplified by international far-right figures and a single word posted by the world’s richest man to his 2.5 million followers – a mob began to gather outside the former Citywest Hotel, which now houses families, including school children, living under the international protection programme for asylum seekers.
British far-right figure Tommy Robinson began posting his support for ‘Irish patriots’, and far-right podcaster Ezra Levant even flew in from Canada. But unlike during the riots in the capital in November 2023, this time, gardaí were prepared for the mayhem that followed.
Pic: Peter Summers/Getty Images
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20
2pm: News breaks of an alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in the grounds of Citywest Hotel.
4.22pm UK extremist Tommy Robinson – real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon – sees an opportunity to fan the flames. He posts on social media: ‘Another day in Dublin. And another rape beside a migrant facility. Of course, legacy media and gardaí just wrote “man” in their description.’
7pm: It’s reported a 10-year-old girl was the victim of a serious sexual assault on the grounds of the hotel.
7.16pm: Just minutes later, Irish far-right activist Michael O’Keeffe shares the report to his 200,000-plus followers – who include billionaire Elon Musk – and posts: ‘Breaking! An African asylum seeker is alleged to have raped a 10-year-old Irish girl on the grounds of a migrant facility in Dublin today.’ It’s viewed almost 75,000 times and shared over 300 times. News spreads on social media, as does talk of a protest at the hotel the following evening.
7.50pm: Several far-right activists spread news of the alleged attack, including some elected councillors who encouraged people to protest at the hotel. Anti-immigration activist Philip Dwyer writes: ‘Going Live from Citywest shortly. Standby. Please share.’
Protesters throw fireworks at Gardaí near the Citywest Hotel on Wednesday. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire
7.52pm: Tommy Robinson posts again: ‘Crowds gathering at migrant plantation in Dublin following reports that a 10yr old girl being raped by an African invader!’
8pm: Dublin city councillor Malachy Steenson posts: ‘I appeal to people to remain calm until we have all the facts from Citywest.’ But he adds: ‘If what we have heard is true then this country should be brought to a standstill and this Government brought down. We must protect our children.’
Later, he tells Extra.ie that his post was ‘an appeal for calm’, adding: ‘There is huge anger in the street.’
10.50pm: O’Keeffe posts that the arrested man is allegedly a ‘failed asylum seeker with an active deportation order since March’. He also tells his followers: ‘This man should not have been in Ireland.’ Elon Musk reposts O’Keeffe’s message, with a single word: ‘Terrible.’ The post quickly goes viral, racking up 13 million views.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21
2.48am: Podcaster and CEO of the Canadian right-wing Rebel News website, Ezra Levante, who has millions of social media followers, posts that he is with his videographer at an airport about to board a flight to Dublin. ‘I’m flying to Dublin tonight to report on the most shocking crime imaginable: a migrant in one of Ireland’s massive refugee camps has allegedly raped a 10-year-old Irish girl,’ he writes. He also urges his followers to follow his upcoming reports.
11am: Levante lands in Dublin.
3.08pm: Activist Philip Dwyer posts: ‘Citywest Plantation centre. Going Live at 7.30 for peaceful demonstration. Please come out and support this community after a ten-year-old child was sexually assaulted allegedly by an asylum seeker.’
7.06pm: Dwyer, who was prosecuted this year for failing to obey direction after garda bodycams were used for the first time, adds: ‘Live from Citywest Hotel people trafficking centre Dublin where an alleged sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl took place allegedly by an asylum seeker. Please share.’
He later told Extra: ‘You haven’t mentioned that poor child and the savage who was supposed to be deported who allegedly raped her…. Shame on you… SHE WAS ONLY TEN… Now print that… I dare you.’
Pic: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
8.28pm: Robinson encourages rioters and writes: ‘Irish patriots on horseback with screams of “this is OUR land” as thousands hit the streets of Dublin following a sex attack on a 10yr old child by an invader!’
8.41pm: O’Keeffe warns his followers not to incriminate themselves posting footage.
‘Folks, just a reminder, footage you post tonight can and will be used to jail protestors in the future.’ Referring to the November 2023 riots, he adds: ‘We fell into the trap 2 years ago after kids were stabbed in Dublin. I know everyone wants to post a juicy video, but think before you do.’
9.09pm: Far-right leader Justin Barrett and his wife Rebecca post about how they took their five children to witness the violent protest.
9.21pm: Dougie Beattie of the right-leaning GB News channel reports that their crew was ‘pepper-sprayed, smashed and knocked to the ground’ in the riot.
10.13pm: Ezra Levante posts that he’s used to more ‘passive’ protests in Canada, calling the unfolding riot the ‘wildest’ of his life. Live footage shows him being pepper sprayed by gardaí and, in his own words, ‘sucker punched’ by a rioter who called him a ‘jew’.
Levante later tells his audience: ‘Reporting from Dublin’s massive refugee camp was one of the wildest days of my life!’ Despite being attacked by a protestor, he insists: ‘I loved being there tonight, so many Irish people stopped me to say hello. There was one person who didn’t like me much. I was sneaked up on from behind and sucker punched.’
A Garda van burns near the Citywest Hotel. Pic: RollingNews.ie
Yesterday, Levante told Extra he was not anti-immigrant and he has raised funds to help dozens of refugees from Iraq to relocate to the West (legally).
‘I’m also a Jew, and half of our Rebel News staff are immigrants or minorities,’ he said.
Asked if his reporting might be seen as inflamatory, Levante responded: ‘You are suggesting that this story would not have gone viral – and the crowd wouldn’t have mustered – were it not for me and the other handful of people on your carefully curated list of political enemies.
‘In fact, it was one of the largest news stories in the world this week. I see coverage in Qatar’s Al Jazeera, in Turkey’s TRT World, in Australia’s ABC News, in France, Germany, Switzerland, India, etc., and of course all over the UK.’
He added: ‘It seems like the real problem is that you don’t like the cozy oligopoly of Irish media to have any competition – either in viewership or in ideology. You seem fixated on the number of viewers that rival reporters have received for this story. It sounds like you’d prefer to have control over how the story is covered.’
Ezra Levante. Pic: YouTube
11.28pm: As the night of rioting draws to a close, new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly says in a statement of the shocking scenes at Citywest: ‘This was obviously not a peaceful protest.
‘The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against Gardaí.’
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22
Three gardaí are injured and 24 more people arrested in a second night of riots outside Citywest. Earlier, five men charged with various offences after Tuesday’s rioting were granted bail after appearing in court.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23
Seventeen adults are charged in court over the rioting. Gardaí confirm that five arrested juveniles were released and will be dealt with under the Youth Diversion Programme.
A third night of protests at Citywest ends peacefully but in Dublin’s south inner city, another IPAS centre is attacked by a small group of thugs chanting ‘get them out’.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24
Security around Citywest remains tight with a large garda presence, but the situation remains calm as Ukraine families housed at the IPAS centre told RTÉ news of their fears.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
Two more people are charged over the Citywest riots as gardaí continue to review CCTV and bodycam footage.
Two males – a juvenile in his teens and a man in his 40s – appear in court charged over the rioting at Citywest. Gardaí release more bodycam footage on their social media channels as they try to identify people involved in the rioting.