Patrick Kielty opened The Late Late Toy Show with a special message to families who need an “extra hug”, following the devastating events of the last 24 hours in Dublin.
Kicking off The Late Late Toy Show on Friday, the host briefly addressed the recent violence that took place in the Irish capital, following the stabbing of a woman and three young children on Parnell Street.
A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s remain in a critical condition in hospital following the incident.
Patrick said: “Given the events of the last 24 hours, it is important to remember what this time of year is all about, and that is holding your kids tight this Christmas.
“We are thinking of every family who needs an extra hug tonight.”
Violent riots broke out in Dublin on Thursday night after rumours started circulating about the knife attacker on Parnell Street being an immigrant.
According to RTÉ, the assailant isn’t from Ireland but has been living here for several years and holds Irish citizenship.
On Friday morning, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described the riots as “disgraceful”, and confirmed a total of 34 arrests have been made for public order offences so far.
Drew Harris said we have not seen public disorder like this before
We have seen people take a thimbleful of facts and add a bathful of assumptions.
He denied there was any failure by Gardaà in their response | Read more: https://t.co/yxKRwiWaG6 pic.twitter.com/0ziEQ7FSgk
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) November 24, 2023
Three Dublin buses and a Luas tram were destroyed through arson during the chaos, while 13 shops have been significantly damaged or subject to looting.
A number of Gardaà were attacked during the unrest, with one member said to be seriously injured.
11 garda vehicles were also destroyed or extensively damaged.
