As Auld Dubliner posted here recently, the Love Ulster Parade is taking place in the City today. It would appear that there has been numerous riots in the City Centre today, with lots of cars and building being set on fire. I am not in the city at the moment, don’t know if any of the metblog team are there either.

It would appear that the riots have been planned and organised, and started out on O Connell street, where there is a lot of building work currently taking place, with rioters using building material to attack buildings, people and the Gardai.

Riots now appear to have moved on from the O Connell street area toward Nassau Street, Grafton St (Dublins main shopping street) and on towards Government buildings on Kildare Street, where it would appear the rioters have planned on converging.

The Love Ulster parade has been called off, with Gardai escorting the buses carrying the marchers out of the city to a pre-arranged meeting with Minister of Justice, John O Donohue.

There are reports of cars and buildings along Nassau Street being set alight, shops and cars being looted, and there are also reports of Pearse Street Garda station currently being attacked and set on fire.

There also appears to be a concerted effort to attack journalists and photographers trying to cover the riots, with many photographers and tv camera crews having their cameras smashed, and RTE’s Chief News correspondant, Charlie Bird has been seen running down O Connell Street with blood coming from his head.

It would appear that Gardai are starting to gain some control of the scenario, having broken the major group into a number of smaller groups, corralled into Kildare Street, Fleet Street / Temple Bar, and a group of about 200 rioters who had moved into the Jervis Street shopping centre. It would appear that the O Connell street area where the trouble initially was located has been cleared off, with cleaners moving in to clear up the mess, and Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern on the ground inspecting the damage.

It would appear that as of now, 16:45, things are starting to calm down in the City Centre, as the Gardai are starting to bring things under control and disperse and arrset the rioters.

Images from O Connell street just after the riots moved elsewhere in the City.

Some more images from the rioting today

There’s loads more in our Flickr group too. Big thanks to phibsboro, johnnew and o6scura for their images