Thirty-four people have been arrested following “huge destruction by a riotous mob” in Dublin, Irish police have said.
Three young children were injured in a stabbing incident outside a primary school which sparked violent protests and clashes with police.
A five-year-old schoolgirl and a female teacher, believed to be in her 30s, remain in a very serious condition, police said.
“These are scenes that we have not seen in decades but what is clear is that people have been radicalised through social media and the internet,” Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said.
One Garda officer received a serious injury, while “numerous” other officers were injured as missiles were thrown at them, he added.
Officers with riot shields held back crowds in the city centre where a police car was set on fire amid anger over the stabbings in Parnell Square East.
Commissioner Harris warned that Garda had to make the “assumption that following the events of last night, we are going to see further protests” after blaming “a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology” for the disorder on Thursday.
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A burned out Luas is removed from O’Connell Street in Dublin
Commissioner Harris added there will be a “heavy” gardai presence in Dublin today in response to the riot.
“We cannot allow the city to be given over to the thugs, the looters and the arsonists,” he said.
More than 400 officers were involved in efforts to quell yesterday’s disorder.
Eleven Garda cars were damaged, and vehicles, including a bus, were set on fire.
A total of 13 shops were significantly damaged or subjected to looting, Commissioner Harris said.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said in a separate press conference that the rioters “brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves”.
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Varadkar slams ‘cowardly champions’
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Garda commissioner Drew Harris said the riots were ‘scenes that we have not seen in decades’
The Taoiseach added that legislation for hate crime would also be brought before the Oireachtas, Ireland’s parliament, in response to the riots.
“It’s now very obvious to anyone who would have doubted it that our incitement to hatred legislation is not up to date for the social media age,” he said.
Irish justice minister Helen McEntee told RTE this morning that the rioters could be imprisoned for up to 12 years.
“We have very, very strong legislation – up to 10 years in prison with up to 12 years as well for someone who assaulted a member of An Garda Siochana (the Irish police),” she said.
“A number were intent on causing nothing but havoc, on looting, on rioting and causing disruption and they will be dealt with appropriately.”
The riot broke out near the crime scene cordon around Parnell Square and O’Connell Street at around 6.30pm yesterday following the stabbing.
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Eleven Garda cars were damaged, and vehicles, including a bus, were set on fire
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More than 400 gardai were involved in efforts to quell the disorder yesterday
A Garda car was set alight, a Luas tram and several buses on O’Connell Street were set on fire, and a bus and car were torched on O’Connell Bridge as rioters clashed with officers.
Foot Locker and Asics shops were also looted in O’Connell Street, as well as Arnott’s department store in nearby Henry Street.
Bottles were thrown at gardai on the street, and obtained by Sky News shows a man put a burning cardboard box into a police vehicle.
When asked this morning whether he considered the police’s response to the riots was a “failure of personnel”, Mr Harris backed his officers.
He said order was restored between 8.30pm and 9pm, but that numerous officers had sustained injuries from the violence.
He added: “We could not have anticipated that this would have been the reaction.”
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Police car set on fire in Dublin
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The riot broke out near the crime scene cordon around Parnell Square and O’Connell Street
President Michael D Higgins said: “This appalling incident is a matter for the gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.”
Ms McEntee also labelled the scenes of disorder “intolerable” and said a “thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc”.
“We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division,” she added.
