The Minister for Justice has again commended gardaí for what he called their professional response to the "thuggish violence at Citywest tonight".
Jim O' Callaghan said that many people have been arrested, more will follow and they will be charged, named and dealt with "relentlessly" by the criminal justice system.
Trouble broke out outside an accommodation centre for International Protection applicants last night during a protest attended by around 2,000 people.
The demonstration began after a man had appeared in court charged with the alleged sexual assault of a girl two days ago.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Minister O'Callaghan said gardaí "did an excellent job".
"They deployed the public order unit, they had the helicopter, the horse unit, the dog unit, they used pepper spray when it was necessary," he said.
"And I know that they deployed, but did not utilise, the water cannon. But I think it was a very effective and professional response from An Garda Síochána to what was a very challenging riot.
"The equipment that the gardaí had, the Public Order Unit had, is much better now than it was over a year ago. They were in a very strong position and I believe the gardaí are adequately equipped and prepared to deal with this unacceptable level of violence."
Mr O’Callaghan said that gardaí had "good intelligence" relating to what people are planning in the event of another potential protest tonight.
"There's always concerns when an event like this has happened, but the gardaí have good intelligence in terms of what people are planning," he said.
"Anyone who's thinking of going out there or to another place this evening to engage in violence should be aware that they'll receive a very forceful response from An Garda Síochána and the criminal justice system.
"They should stay away if their intention is to go out there to use violence."
The Minister added that there are approximately 1,200 Ukrainians and 460 international protection applicants in Citywest currently.
He said that he was sympathetic to residents of the surrounding area who feel their concerns are not being listened to.
"I'm very sympathetic to their concerns," he said.
"I also want to emphasise that the people who were committing violence last night, they were not the people in Saggart and surrounding areas who have legitimate concerns in respect of Citywest.
"I know there are very many reasonable requests that they're looking for in terms of increased garda presence, obviously that's necessarily happening there at present, but I'm taking on board the concerns that they have."
The Minister added that according to information he has received from An Garda Síochána, there has not been a discernible increase in crime in the vicinity of international protection accommodation centres.
Gardaí praised in Dáil for Citywest professionalism
Earlier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin praised gardaí for their professionalism at Citywest last night, saying innocent people had been threatened, particularly children.
He told the Dáil that gardaí come from our community and protect us all, and therefore it "beggars belief" that someone would attack them and cause serious injury.
The Taoiseach said such violence needs to be "dealt with robustly".
Minister O'Callaghan had made it very clear that the Government stands "in total solidarity" with the gardaí, he added.
Mr Martin said such violence is an issue which he has been consistently raising, with greater intensity in the past number of months.
He said that as a society Ireland needs to address attacks on anyone due to their ethnicity, colour or creed.
The Taoiseach was replying to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, who blamed far-right elements, stating their intention was to over-run the Citywest centre.
The Cork South-West TD said these elements are intent on sowing chaos, creating division and terrifying vulnerable people.
The vulnerable people at the IPAS centre have every right to be here, she said, but instead were terrified last night and many are now living in fear.
Ms Cairns said after the Dublin riots in 2023, many children of colour did not go to school as they were scared their skin colour would make them a target.
She said it was "disgusting" that an alleged sexual assault on a child over the weekend was weaponised and other children were left terrorised last night.
Ms Cairns criticised Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice for what she said was falsely connecting rising knife crime with the asylum system, and she called on the Taoiseach to "show leadership" and "counter such false narratives".
In reply, the Taoiseach said it is important that the Dáil hears different voices and then addresses them with a fact-based approach.
GRA 'satisfied' that changes are happening in An Garda Síochána
Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has said that he is "proud" of the efforts of gardaí and Public Order Unit in their response to the riot at Citywest last night.
"I'm proud to have stood, besides the likes of these members last night, shoulder to shoulder with the men and women that were there who are only interested in providing the service that they sign up to do," Garda Niall Hodgins said on RTÉ's News at One.
"Mind you, not a nine to five service Monday to Friday, but these are the men and women who 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days of the year, turn up when asked.
"I, for one, am proud to represent them and will continue to represent them."
Mr Hodgins said that he was satisfied that changes suggested by the GRA were starting to come into effect.
"When faced with this nearly two years ago in Dublin in November 2023 and also subsequently the riots out on Coolock at the Crown Paints site, the GRA were quite vociferous about changes that needed to happen," he said.
"We're satisfied that changes are happening.
"Perhaps in the last seven weeks, we're beginning to see the things that we pointed out being addressed, following on from engaging in all the reviews that were into those with two particular prior previous incidents."
Mr Hodgins said that this was something gardaí and members of the GRA could draw confidence from.
"Our membership can only draw confidence from the fact that they're aware there are more of these trained scene commanders to deal with this type of horrific and deeply disturbing public disorder that our members faced last night," he said.
