Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Dublin witnessed a violent rampage by anti-immigrant protesters following a stabbing incident involving three young children on Thursday. The chaos ensued after rumors circulated that a foreign national was responsible for the attack outside a Dublin school on Thursday afternoon.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has condemned the violent outburst and emphasized that the rioters were motivated by a desire to cause chaos rather than to protect the country, AP reported.
The riots resulted in the arrest of 34 individuals, with up to 500 people participating in looting shops, setting fire to vehicles, and throwing rocks at law enforcement officers.
According to Varadkar, the violence unfolded in two layers; one, an attack on innocent children, and the other, an assault on “our society and the rule of law.”
“These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland, they did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people, they did not do it out of any sense of patriotism,” he added.
A five year-old girl and a teacher’s aide are in serious condition due to the stabbing, and a six year-old girl continues to receive treatment for less serious injuries.
The alleged assailant, who is reportedly of Algerian origins, was also hospitalized in serious condition after a witness subdued him.
The head of Ireland’s national police force, Commissioner Drew Harris, described the protesters as a “complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology.”
He attributed the radicalization of individuals to social media and the internet and noted that the scenes witnessed in Dublin were unprecedented in decades.
The clashes resulted in one officer sustaining serious injuries, with rioters wielding metal bars and covering their faces.
Over 400 officers, many in riot gear, were deployed to contain the unrest, leading to scenes not witnessed in decades.
Varadkar commended individuals of various nationalities who intervened to stop the attack, describing them as “real Irish heroes.”
Among them was Caio Benicio, a Brazilian delivery driver, who confronted the assailant.
Benicio, himself an immigrant, voiced confusion over the protests. “For me, it doesn’t make sense because I’m an immigrant myself, and I was the one who helped out,” he told AP.
The Brazilian delivery driver highlighted the disturbances as the actions of a “small group of people” seeking an excuse for their violent behavior.
