Dublin rioters ‘filled with hate’, says Irish PM after school stabbing leads to chaos in streets

Hundreds of rioters who brought chaos to Dublin in the aftermath of a school stabbing are criminals who are “filled with hate”, the Irish prime minister said, as details emerged of the knifeman’s identity.

“Those involved brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves,” Leo Varadkar said, describing the rioters as “criminals”.

The assailant, who has not been named, stabbed three young children as they left their primary school in central Dublin at around lunchtime on Thursday.

Irish media say the man, who was also injured during the attack, is an Irish citizen who had lived in the country for several years but was not born in Ireland.

He had been living at various addresses in Dublin over the past few years, according to the Irish Independent.

Police have not commented on his nationality.

‘They love violence. They love chaos’

Police have so far arrested 34 people after a night of rioting in which shops were looted and vehicles set on fire. It was the worst violence in Dublin for decades.

Anti-migrant riots took to the streets after unsubstantiated online reports that the attacker was Algerian.

“They (the rioters) did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people,” the prime minister said. “They did not do it out of any sense of patriotism, however warped.

“They did so because they’re filled with hate. They love violence. They love chaos, and they love causing pain to others.”

The government would use the “full resources of the law, the full machinery of the state to punish those involved in yesterday’s grotesque events”, Mr Varadkar said.

A bus was smashed and set alight by rioters in Dublin – CLODAGH KILCOYNE/REUTERS

Ireland would “modernise” laws regarding hate and incitement and pass new laws to enable police “to make better use of” CCTV evidence.

“We need to reclaim Ireland from the unscrupulous who prey on the fears of those easily led into darkness. And we need to reclaim Ireland from the criminals who seek any excuse to unleash horror on our streets,” the prime minister said in an emotional statement.

A five-year-old girl sustained serious injuries in the stabbing attack, which shocked the country.

Two other children and a woman who tried to protect them were also injured and taken to hospital.

Several police officers were injured, one of them seriously.

‘Scenes not seen in decades’

Around 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed throughout the city centre to tackle the unrest.

“What we saw last night was an extraordinary outbreak of violence,” said Drew Harris, the chief of police. “These are scenes that we have not seen in decades.”

More than a dozen shops had been damaged or looted and the “riotous mob” had caused “huge destruction”, he said.

Mr Harris said police had not ruled out any motive, including whether the attack might have been terrorism-related.

There would be a heavy police presence in Dublin throughout Friday, he said, amid concerns that there could be a repeat of the violence overnight or over the weekend.

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