It is questionable, to say the least, that when the author and the ‘revulsive’ of this particular tragedy share the fact of being foreigners, the emphasis is placed on the ‘bad’, when if it is not the ‘good’ the outcome could have been much worse.

But let’s get to the facts. That day, around half past one in the afternoon, a man, a native of Algeria, stabbed five people without apparent cause at the exit of a school, located in the center. Three of them were children of five and six years old; and two of the victims remain in critical condition. A Brazilian, a food deliveryman, who was passing by on his motorcycle, subdued the aggressor using his helmet as a shield.

From there, very close to where the event occurred, a small peaceful concentration that arose spontaneously to condemn him led hours later into a mad mob that burned a double-decker bus, a tram and several cars in its wake. police, while roaming freely along O’Connell, one of the capital’s main roads.

It was later learned that far-right groups had organized and incited the protest, according to them, to denounce that immigrants are a “threat to the country,” with all the irony that entails that while they did so, they sowed chaos and chaos in their wake. the fear.

That afternoon, those of us who were walking through the city took a while to understand what was happening. It was difficult to see the correlation between a terrible isolated event and the blind hatred shown at that moment by five hundred soulless people, whose ringleaders were covered up to their eyes and acted with total impunity.

Almost 900,000 immigrants live on the emerald island, according to the latest data published by the UN. Of them, about 8,900 are Spanish. The job opportunities and the language are the main attractions; in addition to the hospitality and good character of the Irish.

And it is true that they tend to be inclusive, generous and helpful towards foreigners. That is why the patent xenophobia and racism that emerged from the speech and attitudes of the protagonists of the riots on that senseless night, which resulted in material damage estimated at around 20 million euros, were so surprising and shocking. But also with a bitter taste for all emigrants who consider Ireland our second home.

With all the establishments closing their doors for fear of destruction and without active public transport options, to “avoid more vandalism”, the crowd that at that time was in the center, on the eve of ‘Black Friday’, had to look for ourselves life to return home in a city where the vast majority live in the suburbs.

The police, who were clearly overwhelmed by the situation, made no attempt to evacuate in an orderly or safe manner all of us who were ‘trapped’ in the heart of old Dublin. With the smell of burning in our nostrils, struck by the eerie silence of a crowd fleeing quietly for fear of becoming the target of wrath, we arrived home grateful to close the door from the inside.

After the events, the balance of damage, the empty laments and the well-known attempts to politicize and extract electoral gain from the situation. Personally, I lack constructive self-criticism and, above all, delve into some ‘symptoms’ that indicate that there is a dangerous breeding ground among Dubliners, which if not put under siege, can go much further.

The most disturbing thing: the attempts to make light of the matter. The effort to ensure that it has been something specific and anecdotal; isolated and localized events, as happened with Trump’s victory in the United States or the current results of the elections in Argentina.

Let’s not fool ourselves, they all have a common denominator: opportunism, ignorance and the interests of a few ‘smart’ people who know that the reach of populism, well orchestrated, can go very far. We still have time to read the history books, and keep in mind that the nights of vandalism and broken glass never brought anything good.

*Journalist