The Irish Congress of Trade Union held a demonstration at the site of a brutal knife attack to condemn the “far-right xenophobic thinking” purportedly behind the riots in Dublin last week.
“Today is an opportunity for the citizens of Dublin, people who work in Dublin, to come together to show solidarity for our first responders, our frontline workers, who were put in harm’s way last Thursday night, with the outrageous riots and violent behaviour that we have to condemn and not accept,” said ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy at the rally, per The Journal. “We want Ireland to be diverse and pluralistic and we want migrants to feel safe and welcome in our communities and our workplaces in our society.”
A man in his 40s stabbed multiple children as they were being taken from Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, a Gaelic language primary school in Dublin, to an afterschool care center on Nov. 23 just after 1:30 p.m. local time.
Three children and two adults were injured during the knife attack in Parnell Square East. One victim, a five-year-old girl, is said to be in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest and undergoing emergency surgery. One of the adults, the girl’s teacher, reportedly tried to shield the student from the attacker and has been treated for serious injuries. The two children, ages five and six, and the other adult, a male in his 50s, sustained minor injuries.
The suspect, a reportedly unmarried Algerian immigrant, had been loitering in the area prior to the attack. He was subdued by a bystander, who hit the attacker with his motorcycle helmet and pinned him to the ground.
Riots broke out in Dublin roughly four hours after the attack. In total, 34 people were arrested with 32 cases progressing to prosecution. At least 13 shops were looted or damaged and 13 police vehicles were destroyed or damaged, as well as three public buses and one tram, per USA Today.
By 9 p.m. law enforcement had subdued the protestors. It is estimated that as many 500 people took to the streets to participate.
Irish political leaders claimed the riots were prompted by far-right online groups and anti-immigrant sentiment.
"These are scenes we have not seen in decades, but what is clear [is] that people have been radicalized through social media and the internet," said Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in a statement. He said violence escalated after citizens attempted to disrupt the crime scene.
“I don’t want to lose focus on the terrible event in terms of the assault – the dreadful assault – on school children and their teacher,” said Harris, who added that both the stabbings and the subsequent “disorder” are being fully investigated.
He encouraged people to continue their normal routines in the city center, where police presence was increased.
“We can’t allow the city to be given over to the thugs, and to the looter, and to the arsonists,” said Harris.
In response to the knife attack and the chaos, Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar promised to strengthen national hate speech laws.
"We will pass new laws in the coming weeks to enable the Gardai (police) to make better use of the CCTV evidence they collected yesterday, and also we will modernise our laws against incitement to hatred and hatred in general," Varadkar said at a press conference on Nov. 24, per Reuters.
"I think it's now very obvious to anyone who might have doubted us that our incitement to hatred legislation is just not up to date,” the prime minister added. “It's not up to date for the social media age. And we need that legislation through within a matter of weeks."
Other prominent Irish citizens disagreed, arguing the stabbings and reactionary anger were a result of the government’s failure to protect its citizens.
Conor McGregor, a world-champion MMA fighter, wrote in a message to his 10 million followers on X that “innocent children [were] ruthlessly stabbed by a mentally deranged non-national in Dublin” and asked people to pray for the victims.
“There is grave danger among us in Ireland that should never be here in the first place, and there has been zero action done to support the public in any way, shape or form with this frightening fact,” he wrote. “NOT GOOD ENOUGH.” Ireland, we are at war.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 22, 2023
McGregor also criticized the nation’s political leader for blaming “anyone but themselves.”
“Everything from our lax border with gravy train benefits, to our pitiful mental health services, to our country in flames is ON YOUR WATCH!” the athlete wrote on Nov. 24. “How are we going to ensure this ceases to continue in our country? Ireland is fed up of you and YOUR TYPE. We are not stopping here until real change is implemented.”
McGregor added that he does not condone the riots or any attacks on emergency personnel or businesses.
“Last nights [sic] scenes achieved nothing toward fixing the issues we face. I do understand frustrations however, and I do understand a move must be made to ensure the change we need is ushered in,” he said. “There will be change in Ireland, mark my words. The change needed.”
The suspect is reported to be a naturalized citizen. His motive is not clear. Investigators have not ruled out a mental health crisis or terrorism.
“Gardaí believe the attacker was intent on murder and would have killed or injured more people but for passersby intervening,” reports The Irish Times. “The suspect remains under armed guard in a Dublin hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries. While he had not been arrested, he is due to be detained for questioning when deemed well enough and is the only suspect in the case.”
