DUBLIN, IRELAND – A wave of violence swept through Dublin on Thursday evening, triggered by a knife attack that wounded five individuals, including three minors. The ensuing chaos saw a police vehicle consumed by flames.
The disorder was sparked by a band of rioters who launched an assault on members of the Garda, Ireland’s state police force. The confrontation unfolded on O’Connell Street and Parnell Square East, with the rioters resorting to fireworks and bottles as weapons against the police.
In an attempt to quell the unrest, authorities deployed over 400 officers, many donned in riot gear. They attributed the disorder to a “minority of troublemakers.”
As part of the security measures, a police cordon was set up around Leinster House, the Irish Parliament building, with additional support from mounted officers on Grafton Street. The rioters’ activities included setting off fireworks, seizing outdoor furniture, and causing damage to police vehicles and a tram. The chaos also saw a car and a bus set on fire on O’Connell Bridge and a Foot Locker store ransacked.
The rioting was preceded by a knife attack outside a Dublin school around 1:30 p.m. Among the injured was a 5-year-old girl, now receiving emergency medical care. A woman and two other children were also hurt, and a man in his 50s, considered a “person of interest,” was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris denounced the public disorder as “disgraceful,” and appealed to the public to allow law enforcement to conduct their investigations. Superintendent Liam Geraghty confirmed that the attack involved a knife and commended the public’s early intervention.
Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee expressed her dismay at the “horrific attack” and stated that the city’s unrest “will not be tolerated.”