AGI – Dublin has been devastated by what various sources have defined as racial clashes, but which the authorities have tried to contain amid incidents between opposing political factions. The certain thing is that the sun rose after a sleepless night over a capital where shops were looted and vehicles set on fire. All just hours after three young children were injured in an attack outside a school.
Police in riot gear patrolled the streets as crowds taunted them with chants and shot fireworks. Near O’Connell Bridge, over the River Liffey, flames shot up from a car and a bus, as crowds broke into shops and looted one of the city’s main shopping streets.
The serious incident in Dublin today, that left a number of people injured – including children – has shocked us all.
Grateful to those at the scene who intervened immediately.
Thinking of all those injured and their families tonight https://t.co/eIIzo1RYiR
— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) November 23, 2023
The riots – the worst in Dublin for years – erupted after a five-year-old girl was seriously injured in a stabbing in Parnell Square East, north-central Dublin. Two other children and two adults – a woman and the alleged perpetrator of the attack – are hospitalized. According to the Irish Times, the main suspect in the knife attack has been arrested and suffered injuries believed to be self-inflicted
The clashes caused by the far right
Rumors on social media about the nationality of the attacker, who police described only as a man in his 50s, contributed to fueling the unrest. Police Chief Drew Harris blamed a “completely insane faction fueled by a far-right ideology” and warned of “misinformation.”
Credits: Monica Giannattasio
Some protesters they carried signs reading “Irish Lives Matter” and Irish flags were flying in a neighborhood that is home to a large immigrant community.
Ireland is facing a chronic housing crisis with widespread dissatisfaction that has fueled a backlash against asylum seekers and refugees, and far-right figures have stoked anti-immigration sentiment at demonstrations and with social media campaigns.
Credits: Monica Giannattasio
By late evening, Police Chief Superintendent Patrick McMenamin said calm had been restored and no serious injuries had been reported. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the scenes in the city centre, including attacks on police, “they cannot and will not be tolerated. A criminal and manipulative element must not be able to use an appalling tragedy to cause chaos,” he said, calling for calm.
Reproduction is expressly reserved © Agi 2023
2023-11-24 07:00:00
#Night #clashes #tension #Dublin #stabbings #nursery #school #children #injured
