Six people have been arrested after Irish police battled hundreds of protesters outside a Dublin hotel used to house asylum seekers after an alleged sexual assault on a young girl.

The crowd burned a police vehicle and hurled fireworks and other missiles at officers outside the Citywest hotel on Tuesday night.

RTÉ reported that the protesters – some of whom waved Irish flags and held anti-immigrant placards – numbered up to 2,000 people.

The Garda Síochána, the Irish police force, said officers were subject to “sustained violence” as protesters launched bricks, glass bottles and fireworks, resulting in the six arrests.

“This was obviously not a peaceful protest,” said police commissioner Justin Kelly. “The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence against gardai.”

The disturbances flared a day after a man was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault. Local media reported that he was a 26-year-old asylum seeker and that the alleged victim was a 10-year-old who was attacked at or near the Citywest facility, which is in the Saggart area of south-west Dublin.

A small protest outside the facility passed peacefully on Monday but on Tuesday night a far larger crowd threw rocks and traffic cones. A police van was also torched.

Police, some with riot shields, helmets and horses, pushed the crowd back.

The justice and migration minister, Jim O’Callaghan, condemned the disturbances. “Unfortunately, the weaponising of a crime by people who wish to sow dissent in our society is not unexpected,” O’Callaghan said in a statement.

“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the gardaí. Those involved will be brought to justice. Attacks on gardaí will not be tolerated. Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.”

The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, condemned the “violent disorder” and “vile abuse” against police in a statement.

Demonstrations against immigrants and refugees have become common 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.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ireland’s child and family agency Tusla said the alleged victim of this week’s incident had been in state care at the time and that she had “absconded” during a trip to the city centre.

Speaking in parliament, Martin acknowledged “the concern, anger and worry of many people” over the alleged assault. “Clearly, there has been failure here in terms of the state’s obligation to protect this child.”