Five people have been charged following a protest in Newtownmountkennedy on Thursday night.
It comes after the Public Order Unit was called to a house in Co Wicklow which had been earmarked for use as accommodation for asylum seekers.
Six people in total were arrested last night following the deployment of the Public Order Unit.
Three men and one woman have been charged with public order offences and are due in court later today.
Another man was charged in relation to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. He is due in court at a later date.
A teenage boy who was arrested has been released without charge, with a referral being prepared for the Youth Diversion Project.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris at Leinster House, 7-11-2023. Image: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ieGarda Commissioner Drew Harris spoke after visiting the site in Newtownmountkennedy where three patrol cars were also damaged.
"There were very unacceptable scenes seen here in terms of a protest, which then turned to violence," he said.
"We've seen an attempt to burn a small outhouse type premises, but also then disgracefully attacks on members of An Garda Síochána who were attacked with stones and indeed vehicles have been damaged, and one vehicle, the vehicle behind me, was damaged with an axe.
"As we can see with a normal patrol vehicle, both front window and the rear window have been smashed with an axe, not a hatchet, a full size axe.
"And also then we've had another vehicle lights broken and the Public Order vehicle with its tyres slashed."
Commissioner Harris said there were also "attempts to injure members of An Garda Síochána".
"Rubble and stones were thrown from fields and members had to deploy in protective public order equipment and shields to make sure that they could protect themselves from the assaults upon them," he added.
Additional reporting: Jack Quann
