Violent ‘far-right’ riots break out in Dublin following knife attack

Violent riots have broken out in Dublin’s city centre after a knife attack saw five people, including three young children, rushed to hospital.

The riots, which have involved looting, setting fire to public transport, and attacks on Gardai (Irish police officers), have been blamed on the far-right.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has described the “disgraceful scenes” in Dublin as the work of a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology.”

Riots in Dublin were sparked by a knife attack that occurred at 1.40pm on Thursday (23 November) on Parnell Square outside of the children’s school Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, RTE News reports.

A number of passers-by intervened and managed to subdue and disarm the attacker.

Of the five people attacked, three were young children and two were adults. Two young girls are being treated in hospital for serious injuries while a five-year-old boy has been discharged. Both adults, a male and female, are also being treated in hospital, having also suffered serious injuries.

A man believed to be in his 40s or 50s, who was also seriously injured in the incident, has been labelled by police as a person of interest. Police are not looking for any other people in relation to the incident, which is being treated as a “standalone” event.

After news of the devastating stabbing incident broke, crowds began to gather in Dublin city centre, with some individuals shouting abuse towards gardai. 

Not long after, demonstrators grew violent, covering their faces with balaclavas and hoods as they attempted to attack police officers, fire flares and fireworks, and generally wreak havoc in the city centre.

Garda Commissioner Harris has urged people to “act responsibly and not listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.”

Meanwhile,  President Michael D Higgins said in his own statement: “This appalling incident is a matter for the gardaí and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.”

Ambulance Services have reported that they are “extremely busy” in Dublin as a result of the riots, and warned that those who require treatment for non-life-threatening injuries could be facing “substantial wait times.”

Similarly, Dublin-based maternity hospital, Rotunda Hospital, has urged patients to avoid travelling to them “unless absolutely necessary”, as riots cause traffic disruption and block access to the healthcare facility.

As well as a number of Garda vehicles, a bus and a tram have been set alight, prompting all public bus and tram services to be suspended overnight.

Trinity College Dublin, which is located in Dublin’s city centre, has gone into lockdown and closed “all gates”, as instructed by police.

Meanwhile, Dublin’s 3Arena has announced that the venue is staying open after Thursday night’s AnneMarie concert to keep patrons safe until they can be picked-up.