Dublin sees worst violence in decades, police say
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Flames rise from a car and a bus in Dublin on Nov. 23. Photo: Peter Murphy/Getty Images
Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday saw the worst violence in decades, following a knife attack that injured three children and two adults, including the suspect.
The big picture: Police said hordes of rioters, who set fire to vehicles and damaged stores, were driven by online misinformation about the attack.
- As of Friday, a 5-year-old girl remained in critical condition for serious injuries; a 6-year-old girl was receiving medical treatment for less serious injuries and a 5-year-old boy was treated and discharged. An adult woman and the suspect, an adult man, remained in serious condition in a hospital.
- Irish police said 34 people were arrested, mostly on suspicion of disrupting public order and making threats. Of them, 32 were expected to appear before courts on Friday.
- "These are scenes that we have not seen in decades," Irish police commissioner Drew Harris said. "But what is clear is that people have been radicalized through social media over the internet."
Driving the news: Soon after the knife attack occurred, disorder broke out in the inner city center. Hundreds of police responded.
- A number of rioters tried to break through a line of police blocking the scene of the stabbing, CNN reported.
- Protesters chanted anti-immigrant slogans, the Washington Post reported, following unconfirmed rumors of the stabber's nationality.
Businesses, police vehicles and public buses were damaged.
- One member of the police force was seriously injured and was receiving treatment in a hospital. Other police were also injured.
What they're saying: Ireland's prime minister, Leo Varadkar, said the rioters brought shame on Dublin and Ireland, and he pledged to modernize laws against hatred and involving the use of video surveillance, per Reuters.
- These people claim to be defending Irish citizens, yet they were putting in danger the newest, the most vulnerable, and the most innocent of our people," Varadkar said in a news conference.
Varadkar also defended Irish immigration, Politico reported, and said the country was stronger because of migration.
- The president of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on X she was "shocked by the brutal attack."
- The lord mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste also expressed shock: "To think that evil like this could happen, particularly to innocent children, is just devastating," he said on X.
What's next: The initial assault and the disorder are separately under investigation, police said.
- Many of the people involved in the mob have previous criminal records.
Go deeper: Hard-right politics grow across the globe
Editor's note: A quote in this story has been corrected to reflect that Prime Minister Leo Varadkar referred to those put in danger as "the most innocent people," not "most dangerous."
