Worst unrest in decades hits Dublin, police say

A night of torched vehicles and shop looting sparked in Dublin after a knife attack outside a school was of an “extraordinary” level of violence unseen in decades, police said Friday.

The violence started when a group broke through a police cordon Thursday in the area where three young children and a women who was caring for them were injured in a knife attack.

Groups went on to torch busses and trams and loot shops in one of Dublin’s most famous throughfares, O’Connell Street.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told a press conference in the Irish capital on Friday that multiple Irish police officers were injured in a running battle with the group that stormed the crime scene in Dublin on Thursday night.

He said that one officer received a serious injury, with “numerous other members injured” as missiles 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 “all lines of inquiry” are open to determine the motive for the knife attack.

Harris said 34 people were arrested after “huge destruction” by the “riotous mob” with 13 shops significantly damaged or subjected to looting.

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

– ‘Motivated by hate’ –

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that protesters who battled police and looted shops were motivated by “hate” and brought “shame on Ireland”.