2023 Dublin riot

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

The riot was triggered by a knife attack at around 1:30 p.m. GMT that day outside a primary school in Parnell Square East. A man stabbed three young children and a care assistant, critically injuring a five-year-old girl and seriously injuring the care assistant. The suspect was disarmed at the scene by passersby, taken to hospital for treatment, and later arrested. In the hours following the incident, anti-immigrant agitators spread misinformation on social media and messaging apps, claiming that the attacker was an illegal immigrant who had killed multiple children in an act of Islamic terrorism. Agitators urged people to assemble at the crime scene to protest the government's immigration policies. By 5 p.m., a crowd of 100 to 200 demonstrators had gathered at the scene, some displaying anti-immigration slogans such as "Irish Lives Matter". Unrest began at around 6 p.m. when fireworks, flares and bottles were thrown at the gardaí who were maintaining a cordon around the crime scene. Shortly before 7 p.m., a Garda car was set on fire near the scene.

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. Several buses, Garda vehicles and a Luas tram were damaged or destroyed by arson and vandalism, and multiple shops were looted. In response, 400 gardaí were dispatched, including the largest deployment of gardaí armed with riot gear in Ireland's history. 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 more arrests made over subsequent days.

Following the riot, the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, blamed the events on a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology." However, opposition politicians and other public figures criticised policing in Dublin city as inadequate 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 borrowed water cannons from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, passed new laws enabling the use of police body cameras, and announced plans to expand the use of hand-held video cameras, tasers, and pepper spray, among other riot-prevention measures. The suspect arrested in relation to the stabbing attack has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and assault. Identified as Riad Bouchaker, a 50-year-old homeless immigrant originally from Algeria, he awaits trial at the Central Criminal Court.