In the Irish capital of Dublin, a recent evening saw a surge in chaotic incidents following an unprecedented knife assault near a local school, according to law enforcement officials on Friday. This level of disturbance, marked by burning vehicles and looting of stores, had not been witnessed in the city for many years.
The unrest began when a crowd breached a police barrier on Thursday. This occurred at a site where an attack with a knife resulted in injuries to three young children and their caretaker.
Consequently, several groups engaged in setting fire to public transportation vehicles and ransacking retail outlets along O’Connell Street, a notable avenue in Dublin.
During a media briefing on Friday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris reported that the incident the previous night in Dublin led to multiple injuries among the Irish police force. The confrontation with the group that invaded the crime scene left one officer with severe injuries and others hurt as they were pelted with objects.
Commissioner Harris described the event as a remarkable outbreak of violence, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in the area for a long time. He emphasized the ongoing investigation to understand the underlying reasons behind the knife attack.
Following the widespread destruction caused by what Harris termed a “riotous group,” 34 individuals were detained. The havoc resulted in significant damage and looting of 13 stores.
A protective barrier was established around Leinster House, the Irish parliament building, on Thursday night, amid apprehensions that the unrest might escalate.
Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister, condemned the actions of those who clashed with the police and looted stores. He stated that such behavior brought disgrace to Dublin, Ireland, and to the perpetrators and their families.
Commissioner Harris attributed the chaos to an extremist group motivated by radical right-wing beliefs, describing them as a “complete lunatic hooligan faction.”
He also noted that peace was restored in the city shortly after midnight.
Ireland’s Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, expressed that the disruptive scenes were unacceptable and emphasized that manipulative and aggressive individuals should not be permitted to exploit a tragic event to cause destruction.
She stressed the government’s intolerance towards any group using a dreadful incident to foster division.
During the disturbances, some protesters were seen carrying signs saying “Irish Lives Matter” and waving the national flag in a neighborhood with a substantial immigrant population. One protester expressed to AFP that they felt Irish citizens were under attack.
Ireland is currently grappling with a severe housing shortage, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of units short for the general population. This situation has led to widespread discontent, which has been exploited by far-right elements to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments, often rallying around the claim that “Ireland is full.”
