Riots shook Ireland’s capital of Dublin on Thursday evening and early morning Friday after a Thursday night stabbing attack left five people, including three children and a school care assistant, wounded in central Dublin.
Between 200 and 300 people participated in the riots, setting fire to buses and police vehicles, and causing public transportation to shut down, according to NBC News.
The riots began after “misinformation” spread about the alleged attacker’s nationality, according to the New York Times.
Police said a suspect in his 40s and 50s was in custody but provided no other information about him.
The Irish outlet Gript Media identified the man as an Algerian national, saying he had arrived in the country “several decades ago.”
Further information on the person of interest in today’s stabbing incident: As Gript Media reported earlier, he is an Algerian national in his 50s who came to Ireland several decades ago. He is not a recent arrival.
— John McGuirk (@john_mcguirk) November 23, 2023
The knife attack occurred around 1:30 p.m. Fox News reported.
The riots started soon after the stabbings.
“It was gratuitous thuggery,” Chief Superintendent of Police Patrick McMenamin said of the riots, according to Fox News.
“Some of my colleagues were also attacked and assaulted. Thankfully there were no serious reports of injury,” McMenamin added.
Rioters also set fire to a local immigration center and looted stores, Newsweek reported.
Disturbing scenes in Dublin City center this evening.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris condemns the scenes as a “hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology”.
We advise everyone to avoid Parnell St, O’Connell St, Abbey St & the surrounding areas. Stay safe.#DublinRiots pic.twitter.com/r2Xc9vaGQV
— JOE.ie (@JOEdotie) November 23, 2023
Drew Harris, Ireland’s national police commissioner, blamed a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology” for the riots, The Irish News reported.
Helen McEntee, the country’s minister for justice, vowed that the chaos and looting following the attacks “will not be tolerated,” slamming the rioters as “thugs” and “criminals.”
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the government would put forward new laws to tackle social media incitement in response to the rioting, The Irish News reported.
“It’s now very obvious to anyone who would have doubted it that our incitement to hatred legislation is not up to date for the social media age,” Varadkar said.
Police arrested 34 people on public order and threat charges, of whom 32 individuals were slated for court appearances on Friday, Axios reported.
“These are scenes that we have not seen in decades,” Harris said, according to Axios.
“But what is clear is that people have been radicalized through social media over the internet,” he added.
“Those involved brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves,” Varadkar said at a Friday news conference, Reuters reported.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says he is aware of similar protests ‘being organised online’ and pledges to ‘modernise laws against hatred’. https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3
Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/w5wfFqKvjh
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 24, 2023
Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube
“As a country we need to reclaim Ireland. We need to take it away from the cowerers who hide behind masks and try to terrify us with their violence,” he added.
The BBC reported that two of the stabbing victims — a 5-year-old girl and a school assistant who “used her body as a shield” to protect children from the attacker — were in critical condition.
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