Violent incidents erupted in Dublin, Ireland, hours after a knife attack left five people injured, including three children, as rumors emerged about the alleged attacker’s origins.
Emotion, then chaos. This Thursday, November 23rd, five people, including three children, were hospitalized after a knife attack in Dublin. While the suspected attacker was arrested, hundreds of Irish people took to the streets near the crime scene to attack police cars or public property.
• Two “seriously” injured
Five people were injured in a knife attack near a school on Thursday afternoon. According to Irish police, they were all taken to hospital after a “serious incident”.
Police are not looking for “anyone else,” said local police chief Liam Geraghty, stressing that investigators were ruling out a “terrorist” motive based on initial elements of the investigation.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced that a suspect had been arrested. According to RTE media, it is a man in his 40s who was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
In a press release, the police assured that they were pursuing a specific lead, the nature of which they did not specify, and reiterated that they were not looking for “another person.”
“It appears to be an isolated attack for which we need to determine the reasons,” she said, referring to the use of a knife.
“However, we are unable to provide additional information about the nature of the injuries,” she added.
The victims are a man, a woman and three small children. According to police, a little girl and a woman were “seriously” injured. A security cordon was set up around the crime scene in the center of the Irish capital.
• “Shock” and “Horror”
A witness at the scene told RTE how events unfolded. “Without thinking, I crossed the street to help,” she said.
According to him, the attacker was disarmed with the help of a young man in particular. “Another man took the knife and put it aside” so it could be turned over to police, she said.
Two children and the woman were returned to the school from which they came, she added, describing a scene of confusion. According to her, the attacker was lying on the ground and was being held by many people.
“We are all shocked by the events in Parnell Square,” the prime minister said in a statement, extending “thoughts and prayers” to the victims and their families.
“The facts in this case are currently being clarified. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes,” he continued.
The leader of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald, the third political force in the Irish Parliament, said she was “appalled” by the facts and said she had spoken to the head of the Gaelscoil establishment Choláiste Mhuire, to whom she expressed her views on the matter Expresses support from the educational community.
She also expressed her “solidarity” with the victims’ families and praised the police’s quick response.
• Police cars burned down, looting…
Clashes broke out almost two hours after the attack. These incidents were attributed to the extreme right and came as a complete surprise to local authorities. Signs reading “Irish Lives Matter” and Irish flags were waved in these incidents, unprecedented in several years and involving hundreds or even thousands of people.
They occurred in a neighborhood with an immigrant population and amid rumors about the alleged attacker’s origins. The police only stated that it was a man in his 50s.
In particular, a police car and at least one bus were set on fire, and police were attacked by projectiles from a crowd also hostile to “the mainstream media.” There were also scenes of looting in a shopping street after young people took advantage of the police absence.
“The Irish people are being attacked by these scum,” one person said during the clashes, while others in the crowd referred to the murder of a young teacher by a Slovak national who was recently sentenced to life in prison.
One police officer, Commissioner Drew Harris, told reporters he was a “faction of crazy hooligans driven by right-wing extremist ideology.” He regretted that “rumors” and “insinuations” were being spread for “malicious purposes.”
“We will not tolerate a small number of horrific facts sowing division,” Justice Minister Helen McEntee said in a statement, calling for “calm.” She also warned that attacks against police must be “condemned” and punished “severely”.
In the evening, riot police and armored vehicles were deployed to restore calm.