Gardai were forced to evacuate three Roma families from a property in Waterford after a large crowd kicked in a door and all the downstairs windows.
A crowd of over 200 protesters gathered in the Manor St. area of the city at around 5pm on Saturday, after a Facebook-organised rally turned violent.
The crowd targeted a 30-strong group of the local Roma community, whom they believed to be responsible for a string of alleged crimes in the area.
A number of toddlers and elder citizens were among those evacuated.
Gardai led the families away for their own safety, after the crowd became violent.
Tension in the Waterford area has been building up recently, with some anti-Roma Facebook pages having been setup.