Dublin City Interfaith Forum, of which the Lutheran Church in Ireland is also a member, is shocked by the horrendous attack on our young children and adults outside the Gael Scoil Mhuire in the centre of our City.  Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with the three children and the woman who were viciously attacked in Dublin yesterday,  the other people who have been injured, their families and the teachers and staff at the school.

We are grateful to the members of An Garda Síochána, other emergency services and members of the public who put themselves in harm’s way to professionally and proportionately respond to the uncontrolled violence and thuggery that erupted after the horrific attack.

What we saw unfold last night was orchestrated public disorder stoked by hate and far-right rhetoric online and on our streets. The attacks on emergency service personnel and vehicles, the burning of Garda cars and public transport, the looting of department stores and the damage to retail premises deserves condemnation.  We strongly condemn those people and groups clearly set to sow hatred and division in our community. We stand by all those who hold the rule of law and democracy and we ask, at this difficult time to reflect on how we can heal the scars left from the events of last night.  

We ask people to treasure the diversity of our city.  This is a diversity that stretches back to its very founding.  The question before us is how we may help one another, understand one another and learn from one another as we share this vibrant city as our home.   Let us collectively find a way to address and to move on from the hate-filled rhetoric and actions of those last night to a shared aspiration of making Dublin a welcoming city, a city of kindness. 

More than ever, we need to stand with our diverse communities.  Dublin City Interfaith Forum pledges to do everything possible to offer assistance.  We ask any of those directly impacted by the violence and hate-filled actions of last night to report such  hate incidents to An Garda Síochána, or independently through our Safe Haven project for responding to hate and extremism.