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Chaos erupted in Dublin today (Thursday, November 23) after a horrific knife attack that injured a woman and three children rocked Ireland to its core. A man was also injured in the incident.
This evening the streets of the country's capital were glowing as Garda vehicles, trams and buses burned.
Protesters, described as right-wing "hooligans" by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, gathered close to Parnell Square East where the stabbing took place earlier today. A Garda public order unit was deployed and riots ensued with damage to many shops and vehicles in the area.
READ MORE: Dublin stabbing: 'Hooligans' clash with Gardaí and torch cars after 5 injured in attack
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Here is everything we know so far…
When did the attack happen?
Emergency services rushed to Parnell Square East shortly after 1.30pm after reports of five people injured. Three children and an adult woman were injured in the stabbing – the woman and a five-year-old girl were injured seriously.
After initial confusion, Garda said a man in his 50s who also sustained serious injuries was the only person of interest in their investigation. Ireland's premier Leo Varadkar confirmed a suspect was detained at the scene, which is close to a primary school.
Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said this evening: "Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East. Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region.
"These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male. One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street."
Geraghty said the incident was not thought to be terror-related. "It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that," he said.
It also emerged that members of the public intervened and tackled the suspected knifeman. Siobhan Kearney was one of those people. She told RTE News: "I looked across the road and I seen a man in a stabbing motion with a load of children. So I flew across the road and then the man was also stabbing two children as far as I could make out. It was absolutely bedlam."
Siobhan described how she and others "formed a ring around the man". It was about three minutes before emergency services arrived at the scene.
Rioters cause city centre hell
Disorder broke out on the streets close to where the attack happened later in the evening. Gardaí in riot gear were deployed, and soon videos emerged on social media showing violent clashes between Gardaí and masked protestors.
The initial images showed scuffles and bottles being thrown, but the chaos appeared to escalate. Fireworks were thrown and Garda vehicles attacked – smashed to pieces before being set on fire. The same fate soon befell buses and a tram – resulting in public transport shutting down – before businesses were attacked too.
Rioters took the opportunity to loot a Foot Locker store on O’Connell Street. Gardaí eventually managed to disperse most of the crowd with a series of coordinated presses.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris slammed the protestors as a "complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology". He said the Garda's full resources will be committed to "making arrests and bringing offenders to justice".
He asked people to "act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media", and suggested "rumour" and "innuendo" were being spread regarding the attack earlier in the day.
The fallout
Irish president Michael D Higgins expressed his sympathies for the children injured in the attack and their families. "We are particularly thinking of the five-year-old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital," he said.
"This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardaí 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."
Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee described the rioters as "a thuggish and manipulative element" who "must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc".
She appealed for "calm" and insisted the attacks on Gardaí "will be dealt with severely". She added: "Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course."
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- Crime
- Knife Crime
- Police
- Fire
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