Police blame riots on ‘hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology’
Police officers stand near on Parnell Street East near the scene of a knife attack in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday. A man has been detained after allegedly five people, among them three children, near a school in central Dublin, police said. Photo by Mostafa Darwish/EPA-EFE
Police in Dublin are bracing for more rioting on Friday after an outburst of destruction and violence was sparked by a knife attack outside of a school.
A rash of rioting broke out overnight among what Ireland’s police chief called a “hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology.” Their outrage has been reportedly sparked by the belief that the knife-wielding man who attacked children outside of a school on Thursday is a naturalized Irish citizen. Advertisement
Police chief Drew Harris said the rioters have come to “hateful assumptions” that are stoked by false claims circulating online describing the suspect as a foreign national.
At least 32 people have been arrested for offenses related to the riot, including theft. Shop windows were destroyed and vehicles were set ablaze during the riot.
“Yesterday we experienced two terrible attacks — the first was an attack on innocent children; the second was an attack on our society and the rule of law,” said Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
Three children and a schoolworker were injured in the knife attack outside of a primary school in Parnell Square East on Thursday afternoon. At least one child, a 5-year-old girl, was seriously injured, as was the school worker, a woman in her 30s. Advertisement
Caio Benicio, a 43-year-old Brazilian delivery driver, intervened and stopped the attacker by hitting him with his motorcycle helmet before holding him down. Other passers-by flocked to the scene and began kicking the man, who is described as being in his 40s or 50s.
“There are protests against immigrants and I am immigrant and I was there, right there to protect Irish people,” Benicio said.
