Investigations have been launched following two separate anti migrant attacks in South Dublin yesterday.
The first occurred after five o'clock in the evening, when a number of protestors damaged a building in Ballybrack village.
Several roads were closed in the area as the protest took place. A large Garda presence was also noted.
Ridge Hall building was targeted as some believed it was being re-purposed to house asylum seekers.
Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carrol MacNeill says the group wanted to frighten and intimate.
"People went and attacked an empty building last night in Ballybrack and I mean, there's absolutely no excuse. It was just an effort to frighten to intimidate. I was down in Ballybrack last night talking to the guard. They were still there at 10 o'clock! There was still a Garda car there this morning. They took so many of our guard away from other things in the community. It is not representative of the broader people of Dún Laoghaire. It was completely inexcusable."
Cllr Hugh Lewis outside his home after the attack.Second Incident
The second incident took place at around quarter to twelve last night when a rock was thrown through the front window of a councilor's family home in the same area.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Cllr Hugh Lewis no longer lives in the property but his elderly father does.
He says on the rock there was a note which read "Hugh, stop supporting f**king refugees or you’ll have to move out. This is your last warning."
Cllr Lewis says his father was in the room at the time but thankfully he wasn't hurt
"He lives on his own, my mother passed away a number of months ago. At that time he was sitting watching television, and at approximately a quarter to 12 the rock was thrown through the front window through the double glazing. With a note attached urging me to desist from, helping effing refugees as it was, and it would be by final warning."
Cllr Lewis has a longstanding record of campaigning against the government over their handling of the housing crisis. He wishes that those opposed to supporting refugees would focus less on seeking help and more on the government who makes the decisions.
"I think, very clearly, people were targeting me because of my comments and statements in the last number of weeks urging people not to target asylum seekers and warning that their anger needs to be placed at the doors of decision makers and not asylum seekers or anybody else.”
