A usually bustling district in central Dublin was turned into a war zone Thursday night by right-wing rioters amid unconfirmed speculation that a foreign national was responsible for a horrific stabbing outside a school. The attack left three children under the age of 7 and a woman in her 30s hospitalized. O’Connell Street, one of the city’s main shopping areas, was transformed into a scene of terror, with anti-immigration protesters torching busses, smashing shop windows, and going on a looting spree.
According to Reuters, police have not commented on the nationality of the suspect, a man in his late 40s who was disarmed and detained by passers-by and taken for treatment for self-inflicted injuries. The Irish Times reported that the chief suspect was a naturalized Irish citizen who has lived in Ireland for 20 years.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris blamed the unrest on a “lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology,” while Ireland’s Minister for Justice Helen McEntee described the violence as “devastating.” She also appealed for calm, denouncing the “thuggish and manipulative element” responsible for chaos that ensued after the stabbing incident.
Irish President Michael D. Higgins condemned the “horrific attack” and criticized “groups with an agenda” for exploiting the incident to sow social division.
People stand in front of riot police near the scene of a suspected stabbing that left few children injured in Dublin, Ireland, November 23, 2023.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters
Euan Flanagan, 16, described the mayhem he witnessed on O’Connell Street, recounting that rioters were targeting police cars and allegedly assaulting non-white individuals. The violence erupted following the unprovoked attack outside a school, with speculation swirling about the suspect’s nationality and motives, drawing further agitators to the scene. The situation escalated despite initial police denial of a terrorist motive for the attack, which left several victims hospitalized.
By Thursday night, police were working to restore order in Dublin City Centre after the violent upheaval. As the city grappled with the aftermath of the stabbing, it became evident that a small, disruptive group had seized on the incident to incite chaos.
