Serious bang of the aftermath of the reichstag fors by the blueshirts to use the riot to push their much maligned law through
Which was after your disgusting accusation you scumbag
I didn’t accuse you of anything. You accused me of being a paedophile.
And you’re calling me the scumbag?
You aren’t in touch with reality at all my friend.
You knew exactly what you at you sick freak
You’re crying like a baby at an supposed insult you’ve entirely made up, while calling me a paedophile, a “sick freak” and a “disgusting scumbag”. 
You were the chap who was on here yesterday saying that other people could give it but not take it. 
There are tablets available for your sort of rage - I’d advise you to contact your GP ASAP.
He’s always been extremely predictable in his previous alts, you’ve called him spot on there
I don’t think it’s who you think it is, although it’s understandable why one would assume it is.
Accusing others randomly of sexually abusing their children. Christ knows what you’re internet search engine must be like.
You need help.
You’re the only person who associated yourself with what you mendaciously claim I’m accusing you of.
As I said, get those tablets. There’s usually a doctor on call out of hours if you can’t wait for the GP.
Are you moaning about someone being nasty on the internet?
You know well what you’re at. Randomly accusing someone of sexually abusing their kids is very very
strange. Worrying.
McEntee extending the scope of the new facial recognition legislation off the back of the events on Thursday
She should ask spoilsports about it
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Carrying on believing whatever guff you want to believe by all means.
Of course she wont deploy at in the airport to help @Batigol
Between this and trying again to ram through the hate speech bill, theyre really following a roght wing playbook
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It’s so purely reactive
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Karl Ryan of Flanagan’s restaurant said the current policing model is simply not working for business owners in the city centre.
“Visibility is what’s needed with the gardaí. High visibility … they need to be proactive. It’s hard to explain what’s happening now. A crime happens, you call Store Street [garda station] and they say we’ll put a camera on it. That’s not what you need. You want a garda … you want a car,” Ryan said.
https://x.com/businessposthq/status/1728680050222936087?s=46&t=K27wQ5SlUD1o1nD3wyFPgA
Dublin riots reaction: ‘This is a stain that has been growing… we’re circling the drain’
From Clerys to Ryanair, the reaction to Thursday night’s anarchy was anger, frustration and embarrassment
- LORCAN ALLEN ,
- KILLIAN WOODS ,
- ELLIE DONNELLY and
- CÓNAL THOMAS
- 01:00
A double decker bus and a car are set alight on O’Connell Bridgeg as hundreds of people riot in Dublin city centre. Picture: Rollingnews
Derek McGrath woke up on Friday to messages from contacts in international investment funds asking if Clerys department store on O’Connell Street had been damaged in the riots that engulfed Dublin the previous night.
The chief executive of Core Capital, the company behind the redevelopment of the iconic store, said he was embarrassed to receive such messages.
“I don’t mean embarrassing for me as a developer, I mean for us as a nation,” McGrath told the Business Post. “We were on the global stage.”
Aside from graffiti, Clerys was not damaged in the rioting that erupted on Thursday night in the aftermath of a knife attack earlier that day which left three young children and a woman seriously injured.
“We’re very lucky. Unfortunately, plenty of our neighbours weren’t so fortunate. I think this is a stain that has been developing in Dublin. It’s the same consistent set of people causing the same anarchy,” McGrath said of the rioters.
“Dublin is now actually heading down the sewer. We shouldn’t have to, but I can tell you this, there are other public streets in Dublin where retailers have taken it into their own hands to hire private security to patrol the streets for these reasons.
“And that’s because Dublin is circling the drain at the moment in the context of the anti-social behaviour that’s being allowed to continue.”
Damage
It’s a grim assessment but one echoed by other business people in the capital. As the dust settled on the events of Thursday night, business owners are still trying to assess the full cost of the damage.
In a chaotic couple of hours on Dublin’s most famous street, 13 shops were extensively damaged by looters, 11 garda and six public transport vehicles were destroyed, while multiple garda officers and workers including bus drivers were assaulted.
Politicians and business leaders were united in their condemnation of the extreme disorder, while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the final cost of the damage could run to tens of millions of euros.
What’s harder to estimate is the cost to Dublin’s reputation as a place of business, a destination for tourists or a generally safe space.
Many of the business owners in the city centre who spoke to the Business Postthis weekend were still visibly rattled from the events on Thursday.
Karl Ryan, the owner of well-known Flanagan’s on O’Connell Street, said he was still “raw” after being forced to evacuate a full restaurant at 7pm as the riots escalated.
“We saw flames everywhere, we saw buses on fire, the Luas on fire, we saw people running in a panic so we made the decision to close,” an emotional Ryan said, adding that there was “a sense of disbelief” among business owners in the city centre.
“What I witnessed last night … there was a strong element of thuggery because they were just out to cause havoc. This street has been suffering and suffering and suffering for 20 years. It’s been forgotten about time and time again.”
Jodie Quinn, who manages the House of Colour hair salon on Abbey Street, said the rioting and looting had “overshadowed” the stabbings and the families affected.
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“People are saying it had to do with immigrants. It had nothing to do with that. People were smashing up shops for the craic.
“They were smashing shops for the sake of it. It’s costing us €2,000 to fix the window of the salon which was smashed for no reason. It was just some fella outside laughing while he pushed a pole through it,” she said.
David McRedmond, the chief executive of A Post, went to the GPO building first thing on Friday morning to assess any damage to the most important historical building in Dublin.
He said he was left in shock as he walked up O’Connell St and saw the smoking remains of a Luas tram, buses and garda cars, not to mention the damage to storefronts and windows on the street.
“My heart goes out to retailers. They work so, so hard. And retail is such a hard business,” he said.
The GPO is one of the most important tourist attractions in Dublin city. Does he think the events of Thursday night could impact the city’s reputation with tourists?
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Dublin Riot aftermath, as the clean up operation gets underway following the riot last night. All Pictures Fergal Phillips
“I think it could certainly damage Ireland’s reputation, and Dublin’s reputation. I think [events like this] really do matter.
“I saw it on the front page of the London Times this morning when I opened it. That’s a shock to see. It’s disgusting to see frankly,” McRedmond said.
“Our job as Dubliners is to protect the reputation of our city. I don’t think it’s just government that needs to address this. It’s everybody.
“It’s the government, it’s businesses, it’s citizens … we all have a role to play and stop taking this city for granted.
“It’s time we realised that we need to protect our city, to look after it in whatever way we do.”
Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, also warned that a repeat of Thursday night’s events would be very bad for Ireland’s image as a tourist destination.
“It was very depressing scenes, it’s just out and out thuggery. And it’s not the way to respond to a tragic stabbing of a young child coming out of primary school. The government needs to respond promptly and put a stop to it,” he said.
“The gardaí, who have my sympathy dealing with scumbags like that, responded well last night, and I think brought it to an end pretty quickly.
“But we need to have law and order in this country, particularly from a tourism point of view. People want to feel safe coming to Dublin.”
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Photo by Fergal Phillips
Escalation
One thing that the business leaders were unanimous on is the need for a much greater garda presence.
City centre businesses have been warning since the end of the pandemic lockdowns that the failure to properly police lower level incidents such as vandalism, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour when they occur was leading to an escalating problem.
Retailers in particular feel that abuse and sometimes attacks on staff are tolerated as a cost of doing business in the city centre, and that it is not always worth reporting such incidents as they will not be fully investigated.
While they may not be among the most serious crimes in the city, they have consequences for businesses such as the costs of repairs of vandalism or writing off shoplifted goods.
Other issues such as staff going on sick leave or quitting due to abuse and intimidation are also causing problems.
There is a sense among retailers that the same individuals, usually in their mid teens, are acting with abandon because they do not fear running into to or being investigated by police.
Many shop managers feel that the failure to tackle lower level incidents has fed into the idea that criminal behaviour will be tolerated in the city’s retail districts.
Liam Hanly, managing director of Eason, called for an immediate increase in garda to “ensure the ongoing safety of people working, shopping or commuting within the city”.
Hanly added that order must be restored and maintained as a matter of urgency.
This was echoed by Eoin Foley, whose family-run pharmacy at 136 Parnell Street has been open since 1909.
The perception is that people can do what they want and nothing is going to happen
“It’s perception. The perception that people can do what they want and nothing is going to happen,” he said.
Karl Ryan of Flanagan’s restaurant said the current policing model is simply not working for business owners in the city centre.
“Visibility is what’s needed with the gardaí. High visibility … they need to be proactive. It’s hard to explain what’s happening now. A crime happens, you call Store Street [garda station] and they say we’ll put a camera on it. That’s not what you need. You want a garda … you want a car,” Ryan said.
Neil McDonnell, chief executive of the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (Isme), said a serious increase in garda numbers was required to tackle the theft and violence carried out by “serial perpetrators”.
“There’s imbalance in the criminal system. Retailers just don’t see the law of the land on their side. It’s not just that, they see the law as actively assisting these people against them.
“Business people don’t have the confidence to act. They’re spending all this extra money on security, which is really just to defend staff on site. It’s not to actually defend their property or goods,” McDonnell said.
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McRedmond, the A Post boss, said there was no obvious solution to the growing problem of anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
“The visibility of policing is something which is so important. Having the garda station on O’Connell Street is going to be really important. People have to feel secure. Those are the basics. Beyond that I don’t know,” he said.
McRedmond added that he spoke to security staff first thing on Friday morning, who told him they were determined to keep the GPO open.
“What you are hearing from citizens today is what we need. All around the O’Connell street area, there needs to be greater pride in our city and a sense that it’s really important for us. I think it’s for all of society, not just government,” he said.
“Maybe if we had a directly elected mayor in Dublin with real powers it might help give the city more of a sense of its own government.
“I don’t know if that can be done, which is nothing to do with what happened on Thursday night. That was just sheer thuggery.
“We don’t want to overreact but nonetheless we also have to look after our city better.”
Fallout
The fallout from Thursday night’s riots and looting will undoubtedly rumble on for weeks, as the government and gardaí try to assuage people’s fears.
Early indications from retailers suggest footfall and sales were down 50 per cent in the city centre shopping districts this weekend, while footfall in out of town shopping centres like Dundrum was up significantly - a clear sign that shoppers were actively avoiding the city centre this weekend.
And yet, despite the damage and loss of trade, business owners remain committed to Dublin’s most important street.
“We still believe in the area, we still believe in the location,” McGrath of Core Capital said.
“But that said, we are calling on the government to take drastic measures, to engage in this process and to ensure that the sort of anarchy and chaos in the centre of the city on Thursday night, and the danger that was put on people, is taken under control.
“There has to be proper consequences for the people responsible for this. There has to be zero tolerance. These guys don’t care. There’s no law to them.”
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Its been a rough week for the Gript faithful on here