Luas and garda car set on fire as protesters wreak havoc on Dublin after knife attack on children

Garda Commissioner blames “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology”Traffic chaos as a result of O’Connell Street being blockProtesters broke through a garda cordon and set patrol car on fire

A garda car and Luas tram were set on fire by protesters who gathered near O’Connell Street.

The group charged at the garda cordon around the scene of the knife attack which had been sealed off for a forensic examination.

A number of gardaí were assaulted during scuffles, although it is unclear at this point whether any were injured.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has issued a statement saying those behind the mayhem are “a thuggish and manipulative element” who are using “an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc”.

“We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division. I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Síochána carry out their work – attacks on members of An Garda Síochána must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely,” the minister said.

Commuters in the capital have been hugely disrupted as the protests have made areas in the city centre off-limits for public transport.

All traffic and public transport through O’Connell Street has been blocked.

A number of buses cannot pass the group to turn onto the street, while the Green line Luas also remains suspended.

A Garda armed support unit vehicle was forced to turn around after a group of protestors blocked the path forward.

At one point protesters have since broken through a garda cordon and could be heard chanting “get them out”. At least one garda car was set on fire while another was smashed up.

Traffic and public transport at standstill in Dublin city centre amid protests following stabbing of three children on Parnell

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology” is behind disorder in Dublin this evening.

He said a number of Garda vehicles have been damaged.

“I think there’s disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence,” he told media during a press conference at Mountjoy Garda Station.

“We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

“We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. I’ve given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

“It’s our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

“The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.”

Luas tweeted an update this evening: “Please be advised that there are no Green Line services running between St Stephens Green to Dominick. This is due to a non Luas related incident at Parnell. Luas tickets are valid for travel on Dublin Bus during this disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Dublin Bus said earlier there are diversions in place. For their southbound route they said:

“Buses cannot serve Parnell Square East, they are operating normal route to Frederick Street North, divert via Denmark Street, Gardiner Street, Cathal Brugha Street, O’Connell Street and back on to normal route.”

And for northbound routes: “Normal route. We ask customers to please expect delays, as emergency services deal with the incident.”

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Protesters can also be seen around a garda armed support unit vehicle.

A strong garda presence remains at Parnell Square tonight.

The attack on the three children and a woman occurred shortly after 1pm near Parnell Square on the northside of Dublin.

The three children have been taken to hospital, with one girl in serious condition.

The young girl (5) is in a critical condition at Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

A boy (5) and a girl (6) were taken to Crumlin Children’s Hospital for their injuries. The boy has since been discharged.

In total five people have been hospitalised including a man and a woman.

The woman’s condition is described as serious.

A male (50s), who is a person of interest to gardai, is receiving treatment.