Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has estimated that the damage done to public infrastructure during violent anti-immigrant riots on Thursday night could cost “tens of millions of euro”.
Rioters burned three buses, one Luas tram, and three Garda cars, and caused extensive damage to eight further Garda cars on Thursday night after a man stabbed a woman and three young children outside an inner-city school on Thursday afternoon.
Demonstrators clashed with gardaí on O’Connell Street, firing flares and fireworks at officers from close range, while at least 13 stores were looted during the rioting.
Teams worked through the night to clean up O’Connell Street, removing debris and clearing away broken glass. Firefighters also dampened down fires in smoldering vehicles throughout the city
The clean-up operation continued throughout Friday afternoon, with cranes removing a burned-out Luas tram from the tracks in the city center.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Varadkar said the estimated cost of the damage was likely to run into the tens of millions.
“We don’t have a figure on it yet, but it’s likely to be in the tens of millions, rather than the millions,” Varadkar told reporters on Friday.
“I’ll be talking to business groups this afternoon and, of course, there will be government help available to help them with the cost of repairing the damage… but we just have to work out the details of that.”
Varadkar advised shoppers to continue to travel into Dublin city center, stating that there was a heavy Garda presence in the city on Friday.
“Our advice is that it is safe to come into the city. The riots that occurred last night only occurred in a relatively small part of it, thankfully, and were contained within hours,” Varadkar said.
“While some shops may not be open, the vast majority are, and we’re saying to people it is safe to come into the city, and that there will be a heightened Garda presence.”
The rioting began after anti-immigrant groups staged a protest following a knife attack on school children outside Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East.
A female creche worker and three children were injured in the attack, while a man in his 50s, believed to be a person of interest in the investigation, was also injured.
A five-year-old girl remains in intensive care in Temple Street Hospital following the attack, while the creche worker, who reportedly risked her life to prevent further attacks on children, is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.
Gardaí are attempting to identify a motive for the attack but do not believe that the attack was an act of terror.
Anti-immigrant protestors gathered at the scene of the attack on Parnell Square on Thursday afternoon and later clashed with police as the demonstration descended into violent chaos.
Speaking earlier on Friday, Varadkar spoke out against “two terrible attacks” in Dublin on Thursday.
“The first was an attack on innocent children, the second an attack on our society and the rule of law,” Varadkar told reporters on Friday morning.
“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 said those rioting had 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.”
Varadkar also promised that the Irish Government will use “the full resources of the law” and the “full machinery of the State” to punish those involved in Thursday’s attacks.
Gardaí have received two water cannons from the PSNI in Northern Ireland to be used in the event of further rioting or violent protest.
A total of 34 people were arrested overnight in connection with the rioting, with 32 people appearing in court on Friday morning. Twenty-eight men and four women are facing various charges, ranging from theft to public order offenses.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald has said that she has no confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris or Minister for Justice Helen McEntee following Thursday’s riots.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says she has no confidence in the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris or the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee following last night riots in Dublin city centre. pic.twitter.com/KEXrlgJnUp
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) November 24, 2023
McDonald said in a statement on Friday that she supported members of An Garda Síochána but not Harris or McEntee.
“The people of this city have the right to be safe on their streets, in their homes and in their communities,” McDonald said in a statement.
“The gardaí have my full support but given the catastrophic operational failures last night, I have no confidence in the Justice Minister and no confidence in the Garda Commissioner.
“The cold truth and the reality that we must confront today is that the gardaí lost control of the center of our capital city. A mob was allowed to shut down the center of the city. Public transport locked down. People stranded in the city.”
McDonald’s statement came after a similar expression of no confidence from the Social Democrats.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said earlier on Friday that the positions of both McEntee and Harris were untenable following Thursday’s riots.
“Last night’s catastrophic policing failure in Dublin city centre must be a watershed moment in how the State responds to future security threats,” says @GaryGannonTD
“I have lost all confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris’ ability to do that.”https://t.co/xBpbHdOCis
— Social Democrats (@SocDems) November 24, 2023
Gannon, who represents the Dublin Central constituency, described the riots as a “catastrophic policing failure”, adding that the scenes resembled “near anarchy”.
“Last night’s catastrophic policing failure must be a watershed moment in how the State responds to future security threats. I have lost all confidence in Drew Harris’ ability to do that,” Gannon said on Friday.
“The scenes of near anarchy in our capital city last night have no place in any civilized democracy.
“Last night’s shocking events are the result of an absence of leadership – from both Garda management and Justice Minister Helen McEntee; a lack of planning or preparedness; inadequate resources; and insufficient training. There must be accountability for these failures.”
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