Dublin woke up with shops looted and private and police vehicles emitting smoke after a night of serious disturbances rarely seen in the city by what the Irish Police (Garda) described as “thugs” from the “extreme right.” The demonstration by anti-immigration groups broke out around the school where a stabbing of four people had occurred on Thursday in the city, with three minors involved, in Parnell Square East, in the north of the city. A 5-year-old girl and the teacher remain in serious condition, authorities reported.
“We have a completely lunatic faction of hooligans driven by far-right ideology, and this disruptive trend has also engaged in acts of serious violence,” Irish police chief Drew Harris said yesterday.
It took officers several hours to regain control after the crowd grew to between 200 and 300 people. Four double-decker buses, a tram and 11 police cars were vandalized, some even set on fire, public transport was closed and people were urged to stay away from much of the city, some of whose streets were closed.
Some protesters set off flares and fireworks and others threw chairs and stools looted from bars and restaurants. And they confronted the police. At least 13 stores were looted or damaged. The Garda has made 34 arrests and expects to arrest more people in the coming hours, Commissioner Harris reported on Friday morning.
Dublin Fire Brigade said firefighters continued to put out a burning tram on O’Connell Street on Friday morning and secure the scene. Public transportation resumed, but with restrictions in the area. Barricades were still in place on some streets and police stood guard outside a Foot Locker store with broken windows that was looted during the riot. The facade of a Holiday Inn hotel that was also attacked was boarded up.
“The scenes we are witnessing this afternoon in our city center cannot and will not be tolerated,” said Justice Minister Helen McEntee. “A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use a horrific tragedy to wreak havoc.” Harris said one police officer was seriously injured and “many other members were injured” by the vandalism.
The police first ruled out a “terrorist” motive for the stabbing, but later in the evening, Harris showed a slight change of position as he did not want to rule out any motive for the attack, including terrorism. “All lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive for this attack,” he said. A man in his 40s, who was also being treated for serious injuries, was arrested by police, who said they were not looking for any other suspects. His identity and nationality were not revealed.
Superintendent Liam Geraghty confirmed yesterday afternoon that the attacker used a knife, but was unable to provide further details about the nature of the injuries. He also confirmed that witnesses tried to disarm the man as soon as they saw what was happening. “My understanding is that the public intervened at a very, very early stage and we applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves,” Geraghty said.
