Rioting in Dublin following stabbing incident…

Wow, quite the scenes on social media. Shops were looted, cars on fire, buses and Luas set on fire, Gardaí attacked etc.

The Patriots’ are now inside Arnotts, that well known bastion of Left wing politics.
pic.twitter.com/kVRXXMG6dt

— John O’Brennan (@JohnOBrennan2) November 23, 2023

It seemed to have been triggered by a multiple stabbing incident on Parnell Square this afternoon which left five people hospitalised, including the perpetrator. From the Irish Times:

There have been violent clashes between large groups of people and gardaí in Dublin this evening, with vehicles set on fire and severe disruption to transport in the city centre. There are reports of protesters firing flares and fireworks at gardaí and at least one Garda vehicle has been set on fire on Parnell Street, while a bus and a car were set on fire at the O’Connell Bridge end of O’Connell Street.

The significant public disorder erupted following a stabbing earlier in which left five people hospitalised, including the perpetrator, on Thursday.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris blamed the unrest on a “lunatic, hooligan faction”, while Minister for Justice Helen McEntee appealed for calm and said a “thuggish and manipulative element” was using the earlier incident to “wreak havoc”. She condemned the attacks on gardaí.

A five-year-old girl is receiving emergency treatment at Temple Street hospital after a stabbing incident.

A boy, also aged five, and a girl (6) sustained less serious injuries and were brought to CHI Crumlin for treatment. The boy has since been discharged.

A woman in her 30s was being treated for serious injuries at the Mater hospital. The Irish Times understands she was an employee of the school or afterschool care facility the children were attending.

Passers-by intervened on the street shortly after the stabbing attack and subdued the suspect, took a knife from him and threw it across the street into a grassy area close to the Garden of Remembrance.

Gardaí consider the main suspect, a man in his late 40s or 50s who has also been taken for treatment for serious injuries, to be the chief suspect in the case. They are not looking for anyone else.

The Garda Commissioner said all possible motivations are being considered.

A number of passers-by intervened on the street shortly after the attack began and subdued the suspect, took a knife from him and threw the knife across the street into a grassy area close to the Garden of Remembrance. The incident took place outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East as children were coming out of the school, which caters to primary-age children.

Some on social media have been quick to say it was a terrorist attack and the perpetrator was an immigrant but so far it is not clear if this is the case or if the incident is being used by far-right groups to stir up violence.

Náireach an méid atá ag dul ar aghaidh sa chathair anocht. Luas agus Bus trí thine anois.

Shameful whats going on in Parnell Square tonight. Luas and Bus set on fire. Go home lads. #NotInMyName #Parnell pic.twitter.com/H8rdNWPcHG

— Aodhán Ó Deá (@aodhanodea) November 23, 2023

From RTÉ:

The Garda Commissioner has said he cannot rule out any motive for the knife attacks on three children and two adults outside a school in Dublin city centre and he strongly condemned scenes of “serious violence” near the scene of the crime this evening.

Drew Harris said that the motive for the attack was unclear and gardaí would have to investigate it thoroughly.

He said that a “lunatic hooligan faction driven by far right ideology” were creating “disgraceful scenes” of public order in the city this evening and that a number of gardaí have been injured and garda vehicles have been damaged.

“I thinks there’s disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene, the gathering of evidence,” he said.

“We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far right ideology and then this disruptive tendency here engaged in serious violence. We are drafting in resources to deal with that. And that will be dealt with properly.”

He appealed to those who had gathered there to “go home” and for people not to listen to misinformation on social media about the attacks.

From the footage, it appears a lot of hallions are using the situation to get mental and the whole situation is spiralling out of control.

I would not be surprised if Drew Harris puts in a call to his old mates in the PSNI for reinforcements.

Parnell Street right now pic.twitter.com/vfY6lRfscO

— Adrian Weckler (@adrianweckler) November 23, 2023