Gardaí 'extremely fortunate' not to suffer serious injuries during Coolock unrest

Scenes of the aftermath of disturbances which had broken out yesterday at a site in Dublin that is due to be developed for International Protection applicants. A number of fires were lit at the site of the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock where work was due to begin this week. Photo shows the JCB digger that was burnt and a slogan written on the wall Coolock Says No. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie

Frontline gardaí were potentially exposed to “extremely volatile and dangerous conditions” at the scene of public disorder in north Dublin yesterday because of what they say was a “clear delay” in deploying public order units.

The Garda Representative Association said it was “extremely fortunate” that their members did not suffer more serious injuries than those that were sustained.