Dublin erupts after schoolgirl stabbing horror: Thugs clash with police and rioting and looting breaks out as fury over ‘migrants’ grips the city after three children and a woman are stabbed
Clashes broke out between rioters and police in Dublin last night after three young children were injured in a knife attack by a man outside a school.
About a hundred masked thugs clashed with riot police, looted shops and set fire to a double-decker bus in anger over the attack, which also injured two adults – including a woman and the suspected knifeman.
Riot police stood guard on the streets of the Irish capital as crowds taunted them with chants and set off fireworks, in the city’s worst unrest in years.
At O’Connell Bridge, over the River Liffey, flames engulfed a car and bus as crowds burst into shops and looted one of the city’s main shopping streets.
The unrest came after a five-year-old girl was seriously injured in a suspected stabbing in Parnell Square East, found in north central Dublin.
Two other children, as well as the woman and the suspected perpetrator of the attack, were taken to hospital after the incident around 1:30 p.m. Amid rumors about the attacker’s nationality, some members of the crowd blamed “migrants” for the incident.
Clashes broke out between rioters and police in Dublin last night after three young children were injured in a knife attack by a man outside a school
About 100 masked thugs fought battles with riot police (pictured last night), looted shops and set fire to a double-decker bus in anger over the attack, which also injured two adults – including a woman and the suspected knifeman
Police said more than 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed in Dublin city center on Thursday evening to control the unrest.
The rumors spread on social media, causing unrest, anger and fear after the attack. Police have only described the person as a man in his 50s.
Police Chief Drew Harris blamed the incident on a “completely insane faction driven by far-right ideology” and warned against the spread of “misinformation.”
A five-year-old girl, one of three attacked, was seriously injured.
Irish police said the girl received emergency medical treatment at a Dublin hospital, prompting at least 100 people to take to the streets.
Some were armed with metal bars and covered their faces.
Others carried signs reading “Irish Lives Matter” and waved Irish flags through a community center to a large immigrant community.
One protester told AFP that ‘Irish people are being attacked by these scum.’
Police said more than 400 officers, including many in riot gear, had been deployed in central Dublin to control the unrest.
A police cordon was also set up around the Irish parliament building, Leinster House, and officers from the Mounted Support Unit were on nearby Grafton Street.
A number of police vehicles and a tram were also damaged during the disturbances.
Store windows were routinely vandalized and a Foot Locker store was looted. All public transport in the city – trams and buses – was suspended and many companies called on their staff to work from home on Friday.
Ireland is facing a chronic housing crisis, with the government estimating a shortage of hundreds of thousands of homes for the general population.
The widespread discontent has led to a backlash against asylum seekers and refugees, and far-right figures have promoted anti-immigration sentiment at rallies and on social media with claims that ‘Ireland is full’.
By late evening, Police Chief Inspector Patrick McMenamin said calm had been restored and no serious injuries had been reported. “It was unnecessary abuse,” he said.
A bus and car are on fire in O’Connell Street in Dublin city center after violent scenes occurred following the Parnell Square East attack that injured five people, including three young children, Thursday, November 23
Protesters sort looted goods in Dublin on November 23, 2023
Thugs destroy a police vehicle before setting it on fire during a riot following a school stabbing that left several children and adults dead, in Dublin, Ireland, November 23
Riot police stand next to a burning police vehicle, near the scene of a suspected stabbing that left several children injured in Dublin, Ireland, November 23
A bus and a car were set on fire in Dublin on Thursday evening amid the unrest
Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the scenes in the city centre, including attacks on police, ‘cannot and will not be tolerated’ and vowed to take action.
“A violent and manipulative element should not be allowed to use a horrible tragedy to wreak havoc,” she said, calling for calm.
Thursday’s incident, which police initially said was not terror-related, involved a man armed with a knife stabbing victims outside the school, according to media and eyewitnesses.
Witnesses described how a man had been disarmed, and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said a suspect had been arrested.
Chief Inspector Liam Geraghty later told the media that ‘a young girl aged five years suffered serious injuries’ and was receiving emergency medical treatment.
A five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl suffered less serious injuries and the boy had since been discharged, he added.
The woman in her 30s – according to some news media a daycare worker – was treated in hospital for serious injuries.
Police said a man in his 50s, who was also seriously injured, is a ‘person of interest’ in their investigation. No other details about his identity have been revealed.
During an evening press conference, Harris was asked about a possible link with terrorists, and he did not rule it out.
“I have never ruled out any possible motive for this attack… all lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive for this attack,” he said.
That appeared to be a slight change in stance from earlier, when Chief Inspector Liam Geraghty said police were open to the investigation but were “satisfied there is no terrorist link”.
He said police believe it was “an isolated incident, not necessarily linked to wider issues going on in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that.”
Geraghty confirmed earlier witness statements that a knife was used in the attack, but could not provide further details on the nature of the injuries. He also confirmed that witnesses tried to disarm the man as soon as they saw what was happening.
“It is my understanding that members of the public intervened at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for becoming involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves,” Geraghty said.
Siobhan Kearney, who witnessed the attack, said the scene was “absolutely a madhouse” when she initially saw the events unfold from the other side of the street.
“Without thinking I just crossed the street to help,” she told Irish national broadcaster RTE.
“We have another young man, disarmed (the attacker) with the knife. Another man grabbed the knife and put it away for police to find.”
Kearney added that a group of people restrained the suspect on the ground while some of the injured were brought back inside.
Varadkar said he was shocked by the incident.
‘The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that,” he said in a statement.
‘Gardai (Ireland’s National Police) have arrested a suspect and a definitive investigation is underway.’
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was “shocked” by the “brutal attack”.
Three children and a woman, as well as the suspected attacker, were all injured in the incident in Dublin’s Parnell Square on Thursday afternoon.
Local Irish Labor Party MP Aodhan O Riordain said the incident was ‘disturbing’.
“Hope the injuries are not serious, but it will be extremely traumatizing for everyone involved,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Mary Lou McDonald, leader of the opposition Sinn Fein party, said she was “shocked” by what had happened.
“I would like to express my solidarity with the families of those attacked. As a parent, I can only imagine what they are going through right now,” she said.