Algerian embassy warns citizens to ‘reduce movements’ following Dublin riots

Algerians living in Dublin were warned by their embassy to stay off the streets following the violence in the city centre last Thursday.

The warning was issued after reports circulated online stating that the sole suspect in the stabbing attack on schoolchildren on Parnell Square, which preceded the riots, was an Algerian national.

It has since been established that the suspect, who remains in hospital under armed guard awaiting interview, is a naturalised Irish citizen. He has been living in Ireland for two decades having arrived from Algeria in the early 2000s.

A message was sent on Friday by the Algerian Embassy to community groups calling on citizens in Ireland to “show the utmost caution and vigilance, and to avoid places that have been the subject of violence and vandalism”. It also urged Algerian citizens to “reduce their movements to the city centre of Dublin, to stay away from any gatherings” and to comply with the instructions of the authorities.

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Several groups representing migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have raised concerns about the safety of foreign nationals since the riots. At least two accommodation centres for asylum seekers and refugees were targeted during the violence.

In Finglas, a premises which previously housed asylum seekers was petrol bombed while windows were broken at a Parnell Street hostel used for a similar purpose.

“We are all talking about it and we are worried, the Muslim community included,” said Kamel Ghamen, an Algerian man who moved to Ireland in the 1970s. “But when you look at it, the relationship with the Muslim community has been very good. Irish people have stood up for Palestine... We from Algeria admire this nation.”

Mr Ghamen, who has worked with various Algerian communities in Ireland, said he would like to meet Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to discuss the violence and how to improve the situation.

Amir Abu Alrob, a Palestinian refugee who moved to Ireland from the West Bank four years ago, said he did not leave his home for three days after last Thursday’s violence.

“I didn’t go out because I was afraid I might be attacked,” he said. “For me as a Palestinian knowing I could be attacked at any time, it’s a big deal.”

Foreign nationals from non-Muslim countries have also expressed concern. “Over the past few days we haven’t been leaving the house because we’re scared,” one woman from Argentina told The Irish Times.

“People can see we’re not Irish and so we’re meeting up in our homes so our kids can play safely rather than out and about.

“This is not new though. It has been increasing a lot after Covid. Myself, I stopped using the Luas with my daughter months ago. I had to tell her several times not to speak Spanish because of these people.”