What began as a protest in response to a stabbing attack allegedly carried out by an Algerian immigrant in Dublin escalated to a full-on riot Thursday evening, prompting law enforcement to take action.
Irish police, Gardaí, dispatched 400 officers to contain the violent demonstrations and arrested 34 of the estimated 500 attendees on charges ranging from participating in a riot to theft.
According to the Irish Independent, while most of those apprehended were charged with public order offenses, one man has been accused of carrying a "knuckle duster," and another a selection of kitchen knives. The rest were caught in possession of stolen goods, including cigarettes and clothing.
Many of the arrestees appeared before the Dublin District Court on Friday and were granted bail, under the condition that they steer clear of the city centre and don't "partake in any violent protest or large gathering."
While the vast majority of the accused are men between the ages of 30 and 50, a few women were also taken in by police. It has been revealed that they hail from both inside and outside the Irish capital.
Speaking with reporters on Friday morning, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar slammed those who had taken part in the riots, and as ABC reports, he lamented that his nation had witnessed two attacks, one on innocent children and the other on "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, however warped," Varadkar said. "They did so because they’re filled with hate, they love violence, they love chaos, and they love causing pain to others."
Gardaí Commissioner Drew Harris referred to those wreaking havoc in the streets "hooligans" driven by "far-right ideology."
According to RTÉ, the stabbing attack that sparked the riot took place around 2 pm on Parnell Square East, right in the center of the Irish capital. The 40-year-old suspect, who also sustained injuries and is in hospital after being tackled to the ground by a food delivery driver, allegedly approached the group, attacking a woman, 30, before going after the three children, aged five and six.
The woman and one of the 5-year-old girls are in serious and critical condition.
The Gardaí have not revealed a potential motive, and his ethnicity has not been confirmed. While some sources have stated that he is from North Africa, others have told the BBC that he is an Irish citizen in his late 40s.
Footage from the scene shows multiple vehicles, including a bus and police car, on fire, black smoke billowing up into the sky.
Many of those who took part said they'd "had enough of violence, sex crimes and housing issues caused by migrants," and that the belief that the aforementioned attacker was not Irish was a "breaking point."
This article and headline were updated to reflect the citizenship and immigration status of the suspect.
