Violent riots broke out in Dublin on Thursday, leading to several vehicles being set on fire and gangs of youth clashing with police after a knife attack at a local school left five injured.
The riots began hours after a knife attack occurred outside a school in central Dublin where three youths and two adults were injured. The protesters attacked Gardai, members of the state police force Garda, on O’Connell Street and Parnell Square East. The rioters were reported to have thrown fireworks and bottles at the officers. A Dublin bus and a Luas tram were also set alight while some shops were looted.
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The attacks are driven by a “lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology,” Drew Harris, commissioner of Ireland’s Garda Síochána police force, said at a press conference.
The school stabbing was not being treated as terror-related, Irish police stated. However, they did note that a man was taken into custody who was in his mid-40s to 50s and was injured in the attack.
“I wish people would calm down, go home, and allow us to actually conduct our duties and investigations properly,” Harris said.
The knife attack was “an appalling crime,” Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said in a statement, but she noted that “the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city center cannot and will not be tolerated.”
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“A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc,” McEntee added.
The stabbing occurred around 1:30 p.m. local time. A five-year-old girl was receiving emergency medical treatment in a local hospital. A woman and two other children were also injured in the attack. A six-year-old girl sustained less serious injuries, and a boy was discharged from a hospital, officials said.
