Violent clashes erupted in Dublin on Thursday night as a protest over immigration descended into chaos. Masked groups set fire to a bus and a car on O'Connell Bridge, looted shops, attacked police, and shot fireworks in the city centre. The unrest followed a stabbing attack on three children and a creche worker earlier that day, which social media rumours—unsubstantiated—attributed to a foreign national.
Rioters expressed anger over immigration policy, claiming the government had lost control. One protester, Samantha, a 27-year-old mother, said: 'People need to fight for this country. I’m not racist, but the likes of the toerags coming into this country are not vetted and are causing havoc.' Another man in his 20s stated: 'The government is not listening. This isn’t against foreigners; we need immigrants. But they need to be vetted.'
Police faced a barrage of bottles, bricks, and fireworks, with officers lacking adequate protective gear. Eleven police vehicles were damaged, and several officers were injured. Journalists, particularly from RTÉ and The Irish Times, were targeted by the crowd, accused of supporting immigration and ignoring public concerns.
Onlookers condemned the violence. Matthew Butler, 28, called it 'heartbreaking for Dublin, for Ireland, for Europe.' A 53-year-old postman expressed fury, saying police should have free rein to stop the rioters. The unrest highlighted deep divisions over immigration in a country where 20% of the 5 million population was born abroad, and the number of state-housed asylum seekers surged from 7,500 in 2021 to 73,000 in 2022.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar responded on Friday, condemning the rioters and telling the nation: 'This is not who we are—this is not who we want to be.' He acknowledged that many Irish people feel unsettled and afraid but insisted the violence was unacceptable.
