Dublin riot: ‘Huge destruction’ after school stabbing leads to 34 arrests

BBC News:

Irish police have arrested 34 people after rioting by a “hooligan faction” caused chaos in Dublin last night.

Violence flared after three children and a school care assistant were injured in a knife attack in the city centre several hours earlier.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said about 500 people were involved in the riot.

He said they “brought shame” on Ireland and he promised new laws within weeks to bring those involved to justice.

Two of the five people injured in the stabbings outside a primary school on Parnell Square are critically ill.

They include a five-year-old girl and a school care assistant who “used her body as a shield” in an attempt to protect children from the attacker.

Irish police chief Drew Harris condemns the scenes of violence in Dublin city centre

Just hours after the stabbings, rioters destroyed 11 police vehicles, while 13 shops were badly damaged and more were looted during the clashes with police.

Three buses and a tram were also destroyed and several police officers were injured during over three hours of sustained violence.