Dubai Telegraph - Dublin riot motivated by hate: Irish PM

EUR -
AED 3.938479
AFN 73.284283
ALL 98.19234
AMD 417.267449
ANG 1.943348
AOA 978.447316
ARS 1071.53141
AUD 1.629089
AWG 1.930079
AZN 1.82711
BAM 1.955647
BBD 2.17713
BDT 128.849948
BGN 1.9562
BHD 0.406468
BIF 3183.551653
BMD 1.072266
BND 1.425189
BOB 7.467417
BRL 6.152562
BSD 1.078316
BTN 90.972903
BWP 14.300884
BYN 3.528725
BYR 21016.42052
BZD 2.17343
CAD 1.49386
CDF 3073.115756
CHF 0.939162
CLF 0.03726
CLP 1028.119797
CNY 7.698019
CNH 7.63378
COP 4640.937963
CRC 551.556973
CUC 1.072266
CUP 28.415058
CVE 110.256399
CZK 25.259812
DJF 192.015021
DKK 7.459869
DOP 64.934934
DZD 142.958848
EGP 52.835878
ERN 16.083995
ETB 133.503285
FJD 2.399951
FKP 0.820465
GBP 0.830088
GEL 2.916983
GGP 0.820465
GHS 17.683621
GIP 0.820465
GMD 76.671173
GNF 9295.27488
GTQ 8.33535
GYD 225.592402
HKD 8.336174
HNL 27.205878
HRK 7.386875
HTG 141.888931
HUF 407.236454
IDR 16786.168917
ILS 4.020796
IMP 0.820465
INR 90.481213
IQD 1412.489812
IRR 45134.375558
ISK 148.766647
JEP 0.820465
JMD 171.076654
JOD 0.760348
JPY 163.686863
KES 139.08915
KGS 92.433433
KHR 4378.658423
KMF 493.644665
KPW 965.039476
KRW 1499.246878
KWD 0.328832
KYD 0.89853
KZT 530.808592
LAK 23665.153893
LBP 96559.167469
LKR 315.465391
LRD 204.33406
LSL 18.869628
LTL 3.166124
LVL 0.648604
LYD 5.232592
MAD 10.648369
MDL 19.338491
MGA 4988.610841
MKD 61.5252
MMK 3482.679288
MNT 3643.561097
MOP 8.633826
MRU 42.957649
MUR 49.75717
MVR 16.566921
MWK 1869.754141
MXN 21.634265
MYR 4.699212
MZN 68.521819
NAD 18.869628
NGN 1788.626462
NIO 39.676905
NOK 11.794827
NPR 145.556645
NZD 1.797446
OMR 0.412628
PAB 1.078316
PEN 4.044584
PGK 4.328662
PHP 62.679371
PKR 299.424042
PLN 4.325898
PYG 8431.342275
QAR 3.931893
RON 4.977143
RSD 116.980874
RUB 104.99181
RWF 1478.084695
SAR 4.02742
SBD 8.943509
SCR 14.390377
SDG 644.972153
SEK 11.594849
SGD 1.4214
SHP 0.820465
SLE 24.501684
SLL 22484.885861
SOS 616.251927
SRD 37.497551
STD 22193.748611
SVC 9.435264
SYP 2694.101668
SZL 18.864528
THB 36.687634
TJS 11.462006
TMT 3.763655
TND 3.347839
TOP 2.511359
TRY 36.822021
TTD 7.327428
TWD 34.580984
TZS 2878.975413
UAH 44.514627
UGX 3946.692121
USD 1.072266
UYU 45.046486
UZS 13787.924411
VEF 3884341.194834
VES 47.874003
VND 27101.532073
VUV 127.301648
WST 3.003615
XAF 655.905833
XAG 0.031788
XAU 0.000394
XCD 2.897854
XDR 0.808437
XOF 655.905833
XPF 119.331742
YER 267.878982
ZAR 19.79817
ZMK 9651.687743
ZMW 29.35571
ZWL 345.269328
  • JRI

    0.1600

    13.53

    +1.18%

  • BCC

    1.4700

    142.32

    +1.03%

  • BCE

    0.3000

    28.37

    +1.06%

  • GSK

    -0.3700

    36.29

    -1.02%

  • RBGPF

    61.4000

    61.4

    +100%

  • CMSD

    0.2350

    25.125

    +0.94%

  • RIO

    -3.0400

    64.43

    -4.72%

  • SCS

    0.0600

    13.14

    +0.46%

  • CMSC

    0.1600

    24.84

    +0.64%

  • BTI

    -0.0100

    35.39

    -0.03%

  • RELX

    0.3200

    47.98

    +0.67%

  • VOD

    -0.0100

    9.31

    -0.11%

  • RYCEF

    0.0100

    7.15

    +0.14%

  • BP

    -0.8800

    28.93

    -3.04%

  • NGG

    -0.3600

    63.94

    -0.56%

  • AZN

    -0.2000

    64.49

    -0.31%

Dublin riot motivated by hate: Irish PM
Dublin riot motivated by hate: Irish PM / Photo: Peter MURPHY - AFP

Dublin riot motivated by hate: Irish PM

Rioters who torched vehicles and looted shops in Dublin after a knife attack outside a school brought "shame" on Ireland, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday, condemning the worst violence there in decades.

Text size:

Police blamed a "complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology" for the trouble.

Thursday night's unrest came after three children were wounded in a stabbing near the centre of the Irish capital. A five-year-old girl was left in a critical condition in hospital.

The violence -- which resulted in dozens of arrests -- started when a group broke through a police cordon around the scene of the attack in Parnell Square East.

Hundreds of rioters set buses and trams alight and looted shops in one of Dublin's most famous throughfares, O'Connell Street.

"Those involved brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves," a visibly angry Varadkar told reporters, describing the vandals as "criminals".

He later said the damage done to the Irish capital's public infrastructure could cost tens of millions of euros (dollars).

- 'Chaos' -

The five-year-old girl sustained serious injuries in the stabbing incident, which took place at around 1:30 pm (1330 GMT) on Thursday.

Two other children and two adults -- a woman and the suspected perpetrator of the attack -- were taken to hospital with lesser injuries.

Rumours on social media about the nationality of the assailant, who police only described as a man in his fifties, helped fuel the ensuing unrest.

"They (the rioters) did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people," Varadkar 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," he added.

The government would use the "full resources of the law... to punish those involved in yesterday's grotesque events", Varadkar said.

New laws would be passed in the coming weeks to enable police "to make better use of" CCTV evidence, he said.

Ireland would also "modernise" laws regarding hate and incitement.

- 'Extraordinary' -

A few bunches of flowers and a visible police presence on Friday marked the school scene where the stabbings occurred.

On O'Connell Street, workers were busy fixing overhead tram power lines damaged in Thursday night's disorder, when a tram and other vehicles were set ablaze.

And feelings were still running high.

"Evil hit this community yesterday. He deserves to rot in prison," Catriona, 41, told AFP of the perpetrator.

"And I can't believe what happened in town here yesterday. Buses being burned, trams being burned, police cars. And what does the government do? Nothing. Nothing."

Australian Jamie McGlue, who has lived in Dublin for four years, also criticised the government.

Its immigration policy "has not been fair to the Irish people", the 32-year-old told AFP.

"There's a lot of anger and the government is pretending it's just far-right. But there's legitimate grievances and that is fuelling these crazy people to take advantage," he added.

Others were more critical of the rioters.

"It's not the right way," said local Robbie Hammond, 28. "It's not the way to make progress... You're destroying the place, the city you're supposed to be fighting for."

- 'Mob' -

Police Commissioner Drew Harris told a press conference that several of the 400 responding officers were injured, one of them seriously, when projectiles were thrown at them.

"What we saw last night was an extraordinary outbreak of violence," Harris said.

"These are scenes that we have not seen in decades."

Harris said 34 people were arrested after the "huge destruction" caused by the "riotous mob". Thirteen shops were significantly damaged or looted.

Nearly all those detained were due to appear in court on Friday to face various charges.

A police cordon was set up around the Irish parliament building, Leinster House, late on Thursday, amid concerns that the violence could spread.

Harris said calm was restored in the city shortly after midnight.

W.Darwish--DT