Dublin Riots: Violence Erupts After Stabbing Incident

Riots have erupted in Dublin after five people, including two children, were injured in a stabbing incident in the Irish capital.

The stabbings took place at Parnell Square, Dublin, at 1:30pm on Thursday afternoon. Three children aged between five and six, as well as a woman in her thirties, were injured in what witnesses described as a “frenzied” attack outside a school. While a young boy and a young girl have since been discharged, the other two victims are still receiving medical care. Gardaí described their injuries as “serious”.

The suspect, described as a man in his late forties or early fifties, was also injured, and received medical care. The nature of his injuries has not been disclosed. It has been reported that members of the public intervened early into the attack to subdue him. He was then arrested at the scene.

Reports suggest that the suspect holds Irish citizenship and has lived in the country for 20 years. The Garda Síochána has ruled out terrorism as well as organised crime as the possible motive behind the attack. There are currently no other suspects in relation to the incident.

Standalone Attack

“It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that,” police superintendent Liam Geraghty said.

The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said in a statement, “We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

“I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardaí have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.”

In the late afternoon of Thursday, people began to gather by the crime scene, shouting anti-immigration slogans at gardaí. As number grew, protested clashed with the police, shooting fireworks as well as throwing bottles. The protested reportedly looted shops and set fire to several vehicles, including a bus and at least one Gardaí car.

‘Serious violence’ in Dublin

Speaking to the media at a press conference at Mountjoy Garda Station, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said, “I think there’s disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence.

“We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence. We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. I’ve given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

“It’s our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media. The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.”

More Arrests to Come

By 10pm, most of the crowd had dispersed, with Gardaí describing the situation as “mainly calm”. However, they still advised members of the public to keep away from the centre of Dublin, which they continue to patrol.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said in an interview that there have been “many arrests”, with more to come.

She stated, “A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc. I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view. We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division.”