A police van was set alight amid anger over an alleged sexual abuse case involving a migrant who is staying in a hotel in Ireland.

Footage captured by Don Roiste shows a police vehicle engulfed in flames as a crowd gathered around in Dublin on Tuesday, around 8 pm local time.

The incident occurred when furious demonstrators targeted the hotel allegedly housing a migrant accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. Stones were thrown at officers from inside the barriers surrounding Citywest Hotel, which accommodates asylum seekers.

Reports stated that around 300 protesters, many waving Irish flags and wearing hoodies, confronted roughly 60 officers in riot gear on October 21.

The unrest followed allegations that a 26-year-old man connected to the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre had sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl the previous day.

The protest quickly turned violent, resulting in 23 arrests and the police van being set alight. Two officers were injured during the clashes.

Political leaders condemned the violence as ‘thuggery', with calls for accountability, demands to close the centre, and for the suspect to be deported amid wider tensions over migrant housing and crime.

Cleanup operations were carried out the following day.