Tense Calm In Ireland After Clashes
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
DUBLIN (Worthy News) – An uneasy calm returned to the streets of Dublin early Friday after violence broke out between police and protesters in the central part of the Irish capital.
The clashes erupted just hours after after a knife attack in Dublin left three children and two adults injured, officials said.
The streets of Dublin were “mainly calm” shortly before midnight, Irish public broadcaster RTE reported, citing police.
A major operation was underway to restore order in the city after the attack and protests, witnesses and police said.
The gardai, as the Irish police are known, added, “Further information and details of specific incidents will be provided at the conclusion of this operation.”
Authorities said more than 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed to contain the unrest, which they blamed on “a small group of thugs.”
A police cordon was seen around the Irish Parliament building, Leinster House, and officers from the Mounted Support Unit were on nearby Grafton Street.
SETTING OFF FLARES
Ahead of the police intervention, rioters set off flares and fireworks while others grabbed chairs and stools outside bars and restaurants.
Police vehicles and a tram were damaged amid the chaos, footage showed. A bus and car were also set on fire on the city’s O’Connell Bridge. Shop windows were smashed, and a Foot Locker store was looted. All public transport in the city — trams and buses — was suspended.
The riots came hours after a knife attack outside a school in the heart of Dublin around 1:30 p.m. local time.
A 5-year-old girl was receiving emergency medical treatment in a hospital while a woman and two other children were also injured, authorities said. A 6-year-old girl sustained less severe injuries, and a boy was discharged from a hospital, according to sources.
The clashes upset Ireland, an overwhelmingly Catholic nation and a member of the European Union.
Police were desperately trying to restore calm to the capital on Friday.
Although it did not appear to be terror related, the attacks came while Europe is in high alert for possible terrorism amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war which was briefly interrupted by a temporary ceasefire starting Friday.
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