Irish police are bracing for fresh disturbances outside a Dublin hotel that houses asylum seekers and has become a flashpoint for anti-immigration activists.

Gardaí deployed near the Citywest facility on Thursday in anticipation of another possible standoff with mobs that on Tuesday and Wednesday night threw fireworks and missiles and set a police vehicle on fire.

In a statement the police force, An Garda Síochána, urged people to stay away from violent protest: “This is not fun and games and entertainment for social media,” it said.

“The choices and reckless decisions you may make to get involved or caught up in these events may have serious consequences and adversely affect the course of your future.”

The force appealed to parents, family members, friends and anyone else with influence in the local community to engage with younger people and steer them away from “this criminal activity”.

On Thursday, 16 people – 15 men and a woman, aged from 18 to 66 – appeared in court in connection with Wednesday night’s unrest.

The disturbances began on Monday after a man, reported by local media to be an asylum seeker, allegedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl at or near the Citywest facility, which is in the Saggart area of south-west Dublin. The 26-year-old suspect has appeared in court but cannot be named.

Ch Supt Michael McNulty said on Thursday that police plan to keep a continuous presence at the complex over the next week and that units with riot gear, dogs, horses and a water cannon are on standby.

Four gardaí have been treated in hospital for injuries during clashes with crowds who hurled rocks, bottles and other missiles.

Protesters have displayed Irish flags, chanted anti-immigration slogans and charged police lines with horse-drawn carts and scrambler bikes.

A police helicopter was targeted with lasers. The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has condemned what he called the “violent disorder” and “vile abuse” against police.

Demonstrations against asylum seekers and refugees have become common in Ireland in recent years, with protesters accusing the arrivals of worsening a housing shortage and driving violent crime. Far-right agitators have used social media and rallies to spread a message that “Ireland is full”.

Rioting erupted in central Dublin in November 2023 after a man stabbed three children outside a primary school.

In June, crowds targeted foreigners in Ballymena, in Northern Ireland, after an alleged sexual assault. Protests outside asylum seeker hotels and centres also spread across England this summer.