LAST UPDATE | 24 Nov 2023
GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.
1. A total of five people, including three young children, were hospitalised in a suspected stabbing near a school in Dublin city centre yesterday afternoon.
Two of the injured people – a woman (30s) and a young girl (5) – sustained serious injuries, An Gardaí Siochána said.
A man (50s) who is believed to be responsible for the attack is being treated in hospital for serious injuries. Gardaí are not currently seeking anyone else in connection with the incident.
2. Speaking to The Journal‘s reporter Eimer McAuley last night, Caio Benicio – a 43-year-old Deliveroo driver - spoke of the moment he dismounted his bike, took off his helmet, and hit the man who was attacking a number of people on Parnell Square with it yesterday.
“I didn’t even make a decision, it was pure instinct, and it was all over in seconds. He fell to the ground, I didn’t see where knife went, and other people stepped in,” he told The Journal.
Benicio shared his story amid riots in the city. He said: “It looks like they hate immigrants. Well I am an immigrant, and I did what I could to try and save that little girl.”
3. The Journal team covered the riots in Dublin throughout the night last night.
13 shops were damaged significantly during the riots and 11 garda vehicles were destroyed.
A number of arrests were made.
4. Shops in Dublin City Centre were broken into a looted amid chaotic and violent scenes that follow the suspected stabbing incident outside a school at Parnell Square East.
Crowds confronted gardaí in the streets around the area – throwing bottles, bags of rubbish and other missiles at police as public order officers were deployed. Fireworks were also let off at officers.
5. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris denounced what he described as a “complete, lunatic hooligan faction” driving violence against gardaí in Dublin city centre yesterday evening.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly, not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media,” Harris said yesterday evening.
“The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear and a lot of the rumour and innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.”
6. Follow The Journal‘s liveblog on the aftermath of destruction and violence in Dublin City Centre last night.
In a press conference this morning, Garda Commissioner revealed that 34 arrests were made and that 32 of those people will be before the courts today.
7. There are a large number of disruptions to Luas services in Dublin city this morning as both of its lines are currently running restricted routes, after riots in Dublin last night.
All other public transports options are operating as normal this morning. Luas-ticket holders will be able to use their ticket on Dublin bus services.
The services the Luas is running are not operating on a normal timetable, as clean up begins in the city.
8. A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has begun this morning, with hostages set to be released in exchange for prisoners in the first major pause in seven weeks of war.
The two sides had agreed to silence guns and stop bombings from 7am (5am Irish time).
As part of the agreement, 13 women and children held hostage in Gaza are due to be freed at 4pm (2pm Irish time).
9. Education Minister Norma Foley has praised the “immediate instinct” of school staff to “protect the children” following the stabbing incident near Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire in Dublin city centre yesterday.
Minister Foley told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that psychological service teams were at the school yesterday and will be available to the school again today.
“They will consistently work with the school staff to support the school community. Every school has a critical incident plan, we would hope they never have to invoke it but it was invoked yesterday.
Foley said that in situations like this “children need to be with people that they know best and that a calm and secure environment is provided to the children and that’s exactly what will be happening in the school”.
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