Dublin: Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday that protesters who clashed with police and looted shops in Dublin following a school knife attack were driven by “hate” and brought “shame upon Ireland.”
The violence on Thursday night, sparked by the stabbing of three children, reached a level not witnessed in decades, leading to the arrest of 34 individuals, as reported by the police.
In a visibly stern statement to reporters, Prime Minister Varadkar condemned the rioters as “criminals” and said that their actions were not driven by a desire to protect Irish people or any warped sense of patriotism. Instead, he asserted, “They did so because they are filled with hate. They love violence. They love chaos, and they love causing pain to others.”
The unrest unfolded after a five-year-old girl sustained serious injuries in a suspected stabbing incident in Parnell Square East, north-central Dublin. Two other children and two adults, a woman and the suspected perpetrator, were hospitalized following the incident around 1:30 pm (1330 GMT).
Irish Prime Minister Calls for Unity to Confront Masked Agitators
Rumors on social media regarding the nationality of the assailant, described by the police as a man in his fifties, contributed to the escalating tensions after the attack. The police attributed the violence to a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology.”
Varadkar called for the country to reclaim Ireland from those who engage in violence and need to confront individuals hiding behind masks and attempting to instill fear with their actions.
