'My son's care worker stepped in front of a knife for him during Dublin attack'

25 November 2023 , 09:46

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The scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured, including three young children (Image: PA)

The dad of a six-year-old boy said his care worker "stepped in front" of a knifeman to protect a group of children during a stabbing incident ahead of a wave of violent riots in Dublin this week.

The riots involved far-right elements and saw Garda cars, buses and trams set alight and shops looted and damaged. Violence flared after a knife attack on three children and their care assistant outside a school in the north inner city.

Garrett FitzGerald said his son was among kids who were attacked as they walked to their after school on Parnell Square in the Irish capital on Thursday. He described the kid's care worker as "an absolute hero" for stepping in front of a knife and wrestling a man to allow children to run away and protect them until help arrived.

Garrett FitzGerald said his son's care worker protected his child and other kids by stepping in front of a knifeman

Writing on X, formerly called Twitter, he said: "My 6 year old son was part of a group of junior and senior infants who were attacked yesterday as they walked to their after school on Parnell Square. My sons care worker stepped in front of a knife for him and the other kids. She wrestled the guy long enough, to allow the other kids to run away and for help to arrive. Words fail me.

"She’s an absolute hero. A friend has started a GoFundMe for herself and the school. If anyone wanted to throw a few lids here it would much appreciated. She was one of many hero’s yesterday including passers-by’s who intervened, first responders and the children themselves. Our thoughts and prayers are with those still in hospital and anyone who has been affected by this awful tragedy." The fundraising campaign has so far raised more than €200,000 (£173,000).

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A bus on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre (PA)

There were a small number of arrests on Friday evening as gardai mounted a significant security operation around the O'Connell Street thoroughfare to avoid a repeat of the violent scenes from the night before. Amid criticism of the Garda response to the riots, Government ministers met and heard that legislation to facilitate the use of body-worn cameras by police officers will be fast-tracked.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee also told colleagues that officers are trawling 6,000 hours of CCTV footage and vowed that further arrests would follow the 34 already made. She also insisted that the police force has all the resources necessary to keep people in Dublin safe over the weekend, including securing the use of two water cannons from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Ms McEntee also rejected a call from Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald for her and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to resign. She said: "If Sinn Fein wish to debate law and order, if Sinn Fein wish to debate how we can support the gardai, I have no problem in standing over Fine Gael's record of law and order, Fine Gael's record of supporting members of An Garda Siochana. I do not believe Sinn Fein can stand over their record."

Police detain a man on O'Connell Street (PA)

Mrs McDonald said there had been a "an unacceptable, unprecedented collapse in policing" and that a problem leading to Thursday's riot had been "building for months". Damage to public infrastructure in Dublin from the disorder could cost tens of millions of euros to repair, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said.

He added that the knife attack and the violence which followed had brought "shame on Ireland". A five-year-old girl injured in the knife attack outside a school remained in a critical condition in hospital on Friday while the female care assistant, in her 30s, was in a serious condition.

The two other children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, suffered less serious injuries. That girl remained in hospital on Friday but the boy has been discharged. Gardai said a man who sustained serious injuries at the scene is a person of interest in their investigation. Politicians and police have hailed as heroes members of the public who intervened to halt the attacker at the scene on Parnell Square East, including a Brazilian Deliveroo driver.

Chiara Fiorillo