Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said rioters who wreaked destruction during a night of violence in Dublin brought shame on Ireland, as he vowed to use the full force of the law against them.
More than thirty people have been called before Dublin District Court on charges relating to serious public disorder in the city.
This afternoon, Mr Varadkar warned that the damage could cost tens of millions of euros.
Mr Varadkar said an estimated 500 people were involved in the disorder and it was important to back the police force amid the riotous scenes.
Sinn Fein calls for justice minister and garda commissioner to resign
But the leader of the main opposition party, Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald, has called on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Justice Minister Helen McEntee to resign, saying gardai lost control of the city to a “mob fuelled by hate”.
Ms McEntee has said she will not resign following violent protests in Dublin city centre.
Asked if she had considered her position or offered to resign, Ms McEntee said: “I have not and I will not.
“I am absolutely committed to my work in making sure that I support the gardai and the commissioner in responding to these mindless thugs.”
PSNI water cannon being sent to Dublin
Meanwhile, two PSNI water cannons are being sent from Northern Ireland to Dublin to assist with policing any further public order situations.
A PSNI statement said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland has dispatched two water cannons in response to a mutual aid request from An Garda Siochana.
“These will be solely operated by An Garda Siochana officers.”
Some 13 shops were significantly damaged or subjected to looting and 11 Garda cars were damaged in last night's violence. Some Garda members were injured as 400 officers responded to the unrest.
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Being Irish is about 'more than beating your chest'
Mr Varadkar said Dublin had witnessed "two terrible attacks" yesterday.
"The first was an attack on innocent children, the second an attack on our society and the rule of law," he said at Dublin Castle.
"Each attack brought shame to our society and disgrace to those involved and incredible pain to those caught up in the violence.
"As Taoiseach, I want to say to a nation that is unsettled and afraid, this is not who we are, this is not where we want to be, and this is not who we will ever be."
He added: "Those involved brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves.
"These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland. They did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people. 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."
Mr Varadkar said being Irish is about "being more than beating your chest".
"Being Irish means more than saluting the tricolour, beating your chest and pointing to where you were born," he said.
"It means living up to the ideals represented by our flag. It means being true to our own history and it means acting with compassion for others.
"Today I call on us all to remember who we really are because we're better than this and it's time we came together and reminded others who claim to speak for us about what our country really stand for."
Earlier today Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said there have been 34 arrests in Dublin following "huge destruction by a riotous mob" in the city.
This evening, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said “there will absolutely be further arrests” following violent disorder in Dublin city centre.
Ms McEntee said 34 people had been arrested yesterday and 32 of them appeared before the courts today.
She said gardai were “trawling through” social media and CCTV footage.
She added: “I have no doubt that many people will be imprisoned after those horrific events yesterday.”
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said there had been an “unacceptable failure to keep people safe” last night.
'Mob fuelled by hate'
Ms McDonald said a “mob fuelled by hate” had wreaked havoc on the city.
“The cold truth and the reality that we must confront today is that the Gardaí lost control of the centre of our capital city. A mob was allowed to shut down the centre of the city. Public transport locked down. People stranded in the city.
“Members of the public, families and workers terrified in what was a threatening and volatile atmosphere. This was an unacceptable, unprecedented collapse in policing.
“The idea that this violence was unforeseeable is frankly nonsense. These hate-filled mobs have threatened and brought violence to our streets before.
“This shouldn’t have happened and, let me be very clear, it can never happen again.”
Ms McEntee said the "excellent" police response saw the largest ever deployment of gardai in a public order situation.
“Yesterday, what we saw in a very short space of time were a number of people who wanted to be violent, who wanted to wreak havoc.
“But what we also saw were significant numbers of gardai coming together. We had the largest number of gardai in public order unit gear that has ever been deployed and this happened in a very short space of time.
“They managed to contain what was a very volatile situation into a very short area within our city centre.
“The scenes were absolutely horrific, I don’t think anyone thought they would see those kind of scenes in our main thoroughfare.”
Girl, 5, remains in serious condition in hospital
Buses and trams were torched during the violence and a shop looted during riots in the city centre after a woman and three young children were injured in a knife attack near a school.
Mr Harris said a five-year-old girl injured in the attack and her teacher are in a "very serious condition".
He said no arrest has been made but a suspect has been identified.
The violence broke out after three young children and a woman were attacked in Parnell Square East in the north of the city centre on Thursday afternoon.
The woman was seriously injured while the two other children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, suffered less serious injuries.
Mr Harris said it was "disgraceful" that Garda inquiries into the knife attack were disrupted by riots in Dublin.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin condemned the rioting, saying "this is not who we are as a people".
'Lawlessness and rioting' in Dublin
Turning to the later rioting, Mr Martin acknowledged people are "obviously very, very concerned" about "the lawlessness and the rioting that occurred last evening in our city".
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He paid tribute to gardaí and all emergency workers who he described as having put themselves in harm's way "to deal with the actions of a small minority in our society".
"And I would say that this is not who we are as a people, Ireland has built a modern and inclusive society. It is something precious that we should all work to hold," he said.
"We understand the need to respect other, the need to respect difference and the need to respect the dignity of every human being. This is something that we should hold precious and we should collectively as a society come together to recommit to those fundamental values."
Police and politicians called for calm amid warnings against misinformation as violence escalated from a demonstration that began on Thursday afternoon at the scene of the stabbing incident.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a woman and children injured in the knife attack were a teacher and pupils.
Rioters 'radicalised' by social media
He told a press conference this morning: "These (riots) are scenes that we have not seen in decades but what is clear is that people have been radicalised through social media and the internet.
"But I don't want to lose focus on the terrible event in terms of the dreadful assault on schoolchildren and their teacher.
"There's a full investigation ongoing. There's also a full investigation in respect on the disorder."
Mr Harris said significant numbers of rioters attempted to breach the cordon of the crime scene.
He added: "We're going to have to have a fundamental review of our public order tactics, given the amount of violence".
Dublin: Rioting clean-up underway as Leo Varadkar warns damage could cost tens of millions via @irish_news https://www.irishnews.com/news/republicofirelandnews/2023/11/24/news/buses_and_trams_burned_in_dublin_riots_after_children_injured_in_knife_attack-3797136/?param=ds441rif44T
Mr Harris said there would be "significant organisation and mobilisation" to prevent any further violence in the city and a planning meeting had been arranged for 9am to determine the next steps.
Dublin 'given over to thugs, looters and arsonists'
The commissioner added: "We cannot allow the city to be given over to the thugs, the looters and the arsonists."
Mr Harris said sports shops were specifically targeted in the riots but said gardaí responded quickly and "were able to clamp down on that looting".
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said one garda officer received a serious injury, with “numerous other members injured” as missiles were thrown at them.
He said 13 shops have been significantly damaged or subjected to looting and 11 garda cars were damaged during the chaotic scenes in the aftermath of a knife attack which left three young children and a woman injured
Later, 32 people are to appear before court in the city.
O'Connell Street targeted
This morning, O'Connell Street is dominated by the charred remains of burnt-out vehicles. These are being removed, as well as debris on the streets and shattered glass, following attacks on some shops and looting.
Mr Harris refused to accept that the riots were "a failure of personnel".
He said order was restored between 8.30pm and 9pm, but that numerous officers had sustained injuries from the violence.
Asked about the preparedness of the garda for the riots, he added: "We could not have anticipated that this would have been the reaction."
He added that three buses and a Luas train had also been destroyed.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said there could be prison sentences of up to 12 years for attacking gardaí.
Ms McEntee described a "very volatile situation".
She said there will be a very strong gardai presence in Dublin after the violent scenes.
"A number were intent on causing nothing but havoc, on looting, on rioting and causing disruption and they will be dealt with appropriately," she told RTÉ.
"Thirty-four people have been arrested. They will, for the most part, be before the court today. There are thousands of hours of CCTV footage that gardai will go through, many didn't cover their faces, that CCTV will be gone through and they will be apprehended and they will be brought before the courts as well.
'Up to 10 years in prison'
"We have very, very strong legislation - up to 10 years in prison with up to 12 years as well for someone who assaulted a member of An Garda Siochána."
Ms McEntee said while the scenes in Dublin on Thursday were shocking, gardaí "contained this for the most part to a very small area".
"This was our main thoroughfare and I acknowledge that and I think the scenes are incomprehensible," she told RTÉ.
"By midnight last night order had been restored to our city, but this was a violent mob of thugs and criminals whose sole focus was to wreak havoc and it is a very volatile situation.
"There were a huge number of gardai who were assaulted, who were spat at, who were the victims of vitriol and hate themselves.
"I cannot commend them enough. I think they responded in the way that they felt was appropriate and that was required, and they are trained. They're the people on the ground who do this day in, day out.
"Gardaí will take what happened last night, they will adapt their response and they will make sure that from this morning, throughout the day and over the weekend, there is a strong presence and that they stop any type of gathering like this from happening again.
"There will be a very strong presence on the ground, but they will of course monitor any movement, any chat, or anything that's happening online today."
There were clashes with riot police as some demonstrators let off flares and fireworks, while others grabbed chairs and stools outside bars and restaurants.
A police cordon was set up around Leinster House, and officers from the Garda Mounted Support Unit were in nearby Grafton Street.
Roads around O’Connell Street were blocked by public order gardaí as bins were set on fire in parts of city.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee labelled the scenes “intolerable” and said a “thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc”.
Disturbances 'driven by far-right ideology'
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a “complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology” was behind the disorder.
A bus and car on fire on O’Connell Street (Brian Lawless/PA)
Earlier on Thursday, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said officers were keeping an open mind in terms of the investigation but were “satisfied there is no terrorist link”.
However, at an evening press conference Mr Harris was asked about a potential terrorist link, and said: “I have never ruled out any possible motive for this attack… all lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive for this attack.
“Until we’re sure what the motive is then we have to keep an open mind as to why this happened.”
The scene of the incident is close to Irish language medium primary school Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire.
A Garda public order unit was deployed in the area around Parnell Square and O’Connell Street just before 7pm as protesters started to scuffle with officers and flares and fireworks were thrown at the Garda cordon.
As the violence escalated, a Garda car was set alight, a Luas tram and several buses on O’Connell Street were set on fire, and a bus and car were torched on O’Connell Bridge.
Rioters looted a Foot Locker store in O’Connell Steet as bottles were thrown at gardaí on the famous Dublin street.
In a series of co-ordinated presses, gardaí dispersed a large portion of the crowd on to nearby roads.
Smoke from bus and car fires filled the air while a Garda helicopter monitored the situation from overhead.
Dublin Fire Brigade responded to a large fire that had engulfed a Luas tram on O’Connell Street, which appeared to have spread to buses parked nearby.
Ms McEntee said: “A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.
Please be advised that all Luas services have been suspended due to a non Luas related safety incident at Parnel Street.Apologies for any inconvenience caused. — Luas (@Luas) November 23, 2023
“I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dáil and we are of the same view. We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division.
Appeal for calm
“I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochána carry out their work – attacks on members of An Garda Siochána must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.
“Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course.”
Speaking to media at Mountjoy Garda Station on Thursday evening, Mr Harris called for calm and spoke out against the spreading of misinformation.
He confirmed that a number of Garda vehicles had been damaged.
He said some individuals were using a tragic event which is under investigation “for their own ends… and a hooligan faction who are only interested in causing damage and mayhem in the city centre and they’re using the opportunity for that as well”.
“I think there’s disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence,” he said.
“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.
Motive for attack not clear
“The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear and a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.”
Mr Harris said the motive for the afternoon attack “is not clear to us at this moment in time”.
Officers put a cordon around the scene of the attack earlier in the day (Brian Lawless/PA)
Earlier, Mr Geraghty said: “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.
“The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochána in this investigation and An Garda Siochána is not looking for any other person at this time.”
The officer said he believed a knife was used, adding: “It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.
Member of public intervened
“My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.
“We’re aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.
Superintendent Liam Geraghty speaks to the media outside Mountjoy Garda Station (Brian Lawless/PA)
“So we’d ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square.
“A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.”
President Michael D Higgins said: “All of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by today’s horrific attack.
“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.
“The gardaí deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident.
“This appalling incident is a matter for the gardai 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.”
