Protesters arrested outside hotel conference

Eighteen people were arrested tonight after anti-globalisation protesters attempted to storm a hotel in central Dublin, police said.

Police were forced to draw their batons to hold off 40 demonstrators who tried to get into the Burlington Hotel to disrupt a conference, hours after Premier Bertie Ahern had addressed delegates.

Officers were pelted with paint and flour before back-up arrived to disperse the crowd.

Demonstrators had converged on the hotel earlier in the day as the conference on public-private partnerships got under way. After addressing the audience, Mr Ahern spoke to the crowd outside, which then dispersed.

But tonight, up to 100 people returned to the south Dublin hotel where the first day of a three day conference was still meeting.

‘‘A group of about 40 broke off and decided they would charge the hotel,’’ a police spokesman said.

‘‘Gardai had to draw their batons to hold the people off and prevent them from entering the hotel.

‘‘In the event of this, some officers were covered in paint and flour.’’

The 20 officers at the scene called for assistance and 18 people were arrested for public order offences, the spokesman added.

Thirteen of those arrested were taken to Donnybrook Garda station and the other eight were held at Pearse Street station.

No one was injured in the scuffle, but officers’ uniforms were damaged.

Management at the hotel said the conference, involving about 300 people, continued during the incident and would go ahead as normal tomorrow.

Senior manager Declan Madden described the assault on the hotel as a ‘‘fairly minor skirmish’’.

‘‘There was a little bit of a problem. One or two people tried to get inside but they did not succeed,’’ he said.