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In a shocking turn of events, central Dublin became a battleground on Thursday evening as violent protests erupted following a knife attack in the city center. The incident left a 5-year-old girl in need of emergency medical treatment and injured a woman and two other children.
Blame for the stabbing quickly turned to Ireland's immigration policies, with agitators firing flares and fireworks at the police cordon. Ireland's police commissioner, Drew Harris, identified the perpetrators as a "hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology."
Online sentiments fueled the unrest, with one outlet declaring, "Dublin is burning after people have had enough of unvetted migrants flooding this country and stabbing women and kids," accompanied by the hashtag "Ireland belongs to the Irish."
The chaos unfolded as police armed with shields faced off against demonstrators, many with covered faces, attempting to kick and punch them. Police vehicles, a tram, a bus, and a car fell victim to the disorder, with disturbing videos circulating on social media capturing the mob's destructive acts.
What a shower of scumbags!
— Jim Sheridan (@Jim_Sheridan) November 23, 2023
They give about immigrants but listen to the accents, they’re ‘pure dublin’ and they are the ones destroying Dublin right now.pic.twitter.com/pU30DlUGjg
Justice Minister Helen McEntee condemned the violence, emphasizing that a "thuggish and manipulative element" must not exploit tragedy for havoc. President Michael Higgins warned against those using the incident to attack social inclusion principles.
In a live news report, protesters were heard chanting "close the borders." Even Irish MMA star Conor McGregor weighed in, expressing concern about the grave danger within Ireland.
The earlier stabbing incident in Dublin's Parnell Square East involved five people, including three young children. While not treated as terror-related, a man in his 50s, hospitalized with serious injuries, is a "person of interest." Witnesses bravely sought to disarm him during the serious public order incident near a school in the heart of Dublin.
[With information sourced from Euronews]
