2023 Dublin riot

For previous Dublin riots, see Dublin riot (disambiguation).

2023 Dublin riot
Part of the Irish anti-immigration protests (2022–present)
Onlookers watch a Dublin Bus burning on O'Connell Street
Date23 November 2023
Location
Dublin, Ireland
Caused by
  • Reaction to stabbing of a woman and three children by a man at Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East
  • Concerns over immigration
  • Misinformation
Methods
Resulted inGardaí deployed to disperse the crowd, numerous businesses and vehicles damaged
Result
Injuries60 gardaí assaulted, three of whom seriously injured[1]
Arrested57, as of 19 November 2024[2]
Damage
  • 13 shops looted or damaged
  • 4 buses and 1 Luas tram destroyed
  • 11 Garda vehicles damaged[3]
Charged53, as of 19 November 2024[2]

On the evening of 23 November 2023, a riot took place in Dublin, Ireland, and involved multiple incidents of vandalism, arson, and looting in the city centre as well as assaults on Gardaí (Irish police) and members of the public.[4] Gardaí described the riot as the most violent in modern Dublin history, far surpassing the 2006 riots.[5] Initial estimates by Dublin City Council suggested that the damage could cost up to €20 million,[6] while then-Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, stated that it could cost "tens of millions".[7]

The riot was triggered by a man stabbing three young children and a care assistant at around 1:30 p.m. GMT that day outside a primary school in Parnell Square East, Dublin. A five-year-old girl was critically injured and the care assistant—who had tried to shield the children with her own body—was seriously injured. In the hours following the stabbings, far-right activists used social media and messaging apps to spread public anger over immigration.[8] At a later point, the suspect was identified as Riad Bouchaker, originally from Algeria; he has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and assault and will face trial at the Central Criminal Court. The five-year-old girl was discharged from hospital in August 2024.

By 5 p.m., a crowd of 100 to 200 anti-immigrant demonstrators had gathered at Parnell Square. The unrest began at around 6 p.m. when demonstrators began throwing fireworks, flares and bottles at the Gardaí who were maintaining a cordon around the crime scene. Shortly before 7 p.m., a nearby Garda car was set on fire.[9][4] Rioting progressed to the adjacent O'Connell Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare, and also spread to Capel Street and Parliament Street. At its peak, the rioting crowd was estimated at 500 people.[10] Several Dublin Bus vehicles, Garda vehicles and a Luas tram were damaged or destroyed by arson and vandalism, and multiple shops were looted. In response, around 400 Gardaí were dispatched, including the largest deployment of Gardaí armed with riot gear in Ireland's history.[11] Approximately 60 Gardaí were assaulted during the riot, three of whom sustained serious injuries. By 10 p.m., the rioters had been dispersed, with 34 arrests made that evening and further arrests made over subsequent days.[12][13]

Following the riot, the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, blamed the events on a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology." Other public figures criticised policing in Dublin city and called for the resignations of Harris and the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee. The minister subsequently survived a vote of no confidence in Dáil Éireann. The government implemented additional riot-prevention measures after the incident, borrowing water cannons from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, passing new laws enabling the use of police body cameras, and announcing plans to expand the use of hand-held video cameras, tasers, and pepper spray.[14]

  1. ^ Foy, Ken; Calnan, Denise; Mulgrew, Seoirse; Gataveckaite, Gabija (24 November 2023). "Dublin riots: 60 gardai assaulted as three receiving treatment for serious injuries". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Irish police seek 99 people in Dublin riot investigation". 19 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Dublin riots: Clean-up begins after violence driven by 'lunatic, hooligan faction'". The Irish Times. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b "How the chaos unfolded as hundreds riot in Dublin city". RTÉ News. 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference IrishTimesLallyHolland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Dublin riots: Escalating cost of unrest could 'run to €20m'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  7. ^ Sigsworth, Tim (24 November 2023). "Dublin riots: Damage to cost 'ten of millions'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  8. ^ Kwai, Isabella; Satariano, Adam (24 November 2023). "'It Snowballed': How a Knife Attack in Dublin Led to a Riot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference RTEFletcherGardaiAttacked was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Dublin riots live: Rioters are 'criminals filled with hate', says Varadkar". The Daily Telegraph. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023. Ireland's prime minister said the roughly 500 people involved "brought shame on Ireland"
  11. ^ "As it happened: Increased Garda presence in Dublin, Opposition declare no confidence in Commissioner". TheJournal.ie. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023. We had the largest number of gardai in public order unit gear that has ever been deployed and this happened in a very short space of time.
  12. ^ Carroll, Rory (27 November 2023). "Large-scale arrests expected for suspected ringleaders of Dublin riot". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Full scale of Dublin riots destruction laid bare, as gardaí expected to arrest up to 150 more people". Independent.ie. 13 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  14. ^ Reynolds, Paul (29 November 2023). "Public Order Unit to be issued with tasers, says Harris". RTE. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.