Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Sunday condemned the allegedly deadly fire at a hotel for asylum seekers near Galway, saying there was “no excuse for violence”, Agerpres reported, citing Agence France-Presse.

The fire broke out at around 11.35pm on Saturday night at the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill, Co Galway. The Irish police, which started an investigation, declared a “criminal incident”.

The hotel, which has not been used for years, was supposed to receive about 70 asylum seekers in the coming days. Demonstrators opposed to its opening blocked the entrance to the hotel during the day on Saturday in protest.

“I am deeply concerned by (…) the alleged criminal damage to a number of facilities across the country intended to house people seeking international protection, including in County Galway last night,” Varadkar said in a statement.

“Nothing justifies violence, arson or vandalism in our republic. Never,” he said.

And Ireland’s Integration Minister Roderick O’Gorman called the incident “deeply disturbing.”

“Politicians of all stripes must condemn this shameful act and the fear that prompted it,” he said.

The chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, called for a “thorough investigation”, saying there was now a “repeated pattern of criminal arson” in places hosting asylum seekers and refugees.

In recent months, the issue of their placement has become particularly sensitive in Ireland. 101,200 people from Ukraine arrived on the territory of this country of five million people, of which 74,500 were received by the state.

A lack of affordable housing and a cost-of-living crisis fueled discontent among newcomers.

In late November, the city of Dublin was rocked by unprecedented riots, which the authorities blamed on far-right agitators, after a knife attack that left four people injured, including three children.

The government blamed rumors on social media, with some netizens claiming the attacker was an “illegal immigrant” or an “Algerian national”.

Ireland, which has previously reported difficulties housing all of its asylum seekers for the winter, announced on Tuesday that it would cut support for Ukrainians fleeing the war.

• Ireland sharply cuts monthly aid to Ukrainian refugees amid acute housing crisis