Black Friday is supposed to be one of the busiest shopping days in the lead up to Christmas, but last night there were scenes of chaos and violence in Dublin city centre as rioters and looters wreaked havoc on the streets of the capital.
Videos showed people breaking into shops, including Foot Locker while looters raided Arnotts Department Store on Henry Street.
13 shops were damaged in Dublin city centre last night.
Arnotts was due to stay open until 9pm last night, but it closed early and looters were seen forcing up the shutters to enter the store and steal goods.
A spokesperson said that staff worked through the night to prepare the premises for the reopening this afternoon.
It was estimated that Irish consumers would spend around €100m today alone, but Black Friday sales in Dublin have been seriously curtailed, with most people likely to avoid the city centre today.
There is a "significant" garda presence on the streets of Dublin city centre this morning following last night's rioting, particularly around the area where the violent scenes occurred.
Gardaí said this includes members of the Garda Public Order Unit.
Neil McDonnell, chief executive of small and medium business representative group ISME, said a huge amount of damage was done in Dublin city at the busiest time of year.
He said shops do 20-25% of their annual business in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and this is a desperately worrying time for businesses impacted by riots and looting last night.
He said business groups have met with Minister Neale Richmond at the Retail Forum and have told him of how fearful staff feel at work.
"They are subject to abuse, including racist abuse by people who don't feel any need to comply with the law," Mr McDonnell said.
"There is a real concern out there that the legal system is far too accommodating to the sort of thuggery we saw yesterday which manifests itself in smaller ways on a daily basis, and people just don't feel the law is on their side."
He said retail outlets are keeping up the perspex screens after Covid because they help prevent people spitting or assaulting staff.
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"It's happening on a daily basis and it's disgraceful and we don't feel like there is sufficient control of it, and we don't feel like the legal system takes a sufficiently serious view of what is occurring in our retail outlets."
"We saw quite serious physical damage done to the fabric of O'Connell Street, to public transport, to the Luas and to buses, it is going to take quite a bit of time to clean that up."
Mr McDonnell said a number of retail outlets will not see sales today and instead face a substantial repair bill and an insurance problem before they can get back to normal business activity.
During the meeting with Minister Neale Richmond, retailers stressed the need to increase visibility of Gardaí and also called for more prison places.
They said that shopping centres need to employ security staff and added that levels of criminality must be taken seriously as incidents happen every single day.
Mr McDonnell also acknowledged that most stores employ a "no challenge" policy with shoplifters.
This means they do not stop shoplifters stealing goods, because if they do, they will be sued by the same shoplifters for defamation, false imprisonment, or discrimination under the equality act, he added.
SFA slams 'abhorrent' Dublin violence
David Broderick, Director of the Small Firms Association, said the group's thoughts are with the children and career and their families who were attacked in Dublin city centre yesterday.
"The riots, looting, and attacks on Garda Siochana that followed on the eve of Green Friday and the beginning of our busy Christmas trading period were abhorrent," Mr Broderick said.
"SFA with our members and partners, including Champion Green, will continue to work together to support businesses in the city to make sure, staff, consumers and tourists feel safe to work, visit and enjoy the best of Dublin," he added.
The Director of Retail Ireland, Arnold Dillon, said the retail sector was deeply shocked at the violence and disorder in Dublin last night.
Retail Ireland is the Ibec representative group for the sector.
"There is massive concern about the impact on staff, the cost of repairing damage and replacing stock, and the knock on effect it will have on city centre trade over the coming weeks," Mr Dillon said.
He said that getting staff home safely was a major challenge for many retailers yesterday and many shops have reduced trading hours today.
"The disorder has significantly affected trade at a key time for the sector," he stated.
"Of even greater concern is that shoppers will be put off travelling into the city centre over the coming weeks," Mr Dillon said.
"A strong, assertive and visible Gardai response is required. It is vital that there is no repeat of what happened yesterday. It is also crucial that there is now a collective effort to ensure the city is safe, secure and welcoming to all over the Christmas period," he added.
Public safety is a cornerstone of any civic society - Dublin Chamber
Dublin Chamber has today condemned the events that took place in Dublin city centre last night after yesterday's harrowing assault.
Dublin Chamber's CEO Mary Rose Burke said that what happens in the heart of the city affects all of Dublin.
"Public safety is a cornerstone of any civic society, and any threat to it must be dealt with swiftly," Mary Rose Burke said.
She said the group had been in communication with senior members of An Garda Siochana this morning and have offered the Chamber's full support.
It is also meeting with Dublin City Council today.
"We commend the Gardai and other emergency workers, local authority staff, public transport staff and indeed many of the staff of member companies last night for the professionalism displayed in handling the events that took place, without which the situation would have become much worse," Mary Rose Burke stated.
Over the next few days, she said that Dublin Chamber will be discussing the impact of recent events and considering what measures are needed to ensure that they do not reoccur.
"This discussion continues a dialogue we have had with Government, both national and local, and at the highest level, regarding the challenges of ensuring that Dublin is a safe place for all, and where everyone can enjoy all the many amenities that the city has to offer," she added.
RAI outlines priorities to support hospitality businesses
The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said this is an important time of year for restaurants and cafés hoping for a busy Christmas season.
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"The scenes witnessed on Thursday night could not have arrived at a worse time for business owners in Dublin city centre," it said in a statement.
The RAI has outlined a number of priorities to support hospitality businesses in the capital.
It wants the Government to ensure the highest level of Garda visibility on the streets of Dublin both during the day and night until the end of January.
It is calling for a public awareness campaign to convey the message that Dublin city is safe to visit and is open for business during the Christmas period.
The RAI also wants to see grant aid or wage subsidies for businesses that were forced to close last night, have been forced to close today or over the next few days, or have faced damage to property or will incur repair costs.
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) also said today adjustments must be made to the policing strategy to ensure there is a "high profile, sustained Garda presence on Dublin streets throughout the city centre".
The representatives for Dublin publicans also praised the bravery of the members of An Garda Síochána who were involved in tackling the riots that broke out in the city, as well as those other members of the emergency services involved.
Donall O'Keeffe, CEO of the LVA, said that as everyone who is concerned about Dublin sets about repairing the damage done to the city, a longer-term, strategic approach to what steps can be taken to ensure lasting solutions has to be taken.
"We believe it is essential that the policing strategy is adjusted so that there is now a high profile, sustained Garda presence on Dublin streets throughout the city centre on a permanent basis," he added.
He said this needs to be put in place immediately for the key trading period through to New Year, but it also has to amount to a lot more than a short-term response.
"That means maintaining the presence throughout 2024 and beyond. The LVA has been pressing for the need for higher visibility policing throughout the city for many months and the events on Thursday night once again emphasised why this is essential for the longer term maintenance of public order in our capital," Mr O'Keeffe said.
He also said this was a very difficult and worrying time for those working in the city centre, especially those who have to work at night.
"Obviously a significant number of those people work in pubs and hospitality. It is essential that they are protected and they can feel safe in work, or travelling to and from work," he stated.
"We are particularly concerned about how the many non-national people in our city must be feeling. We are proud to have many non-nationals working for our members and we know how valuable a contribution people who were born outside Ireland make to the pubs and night-time economy of Dublin. Their input is essential," he stated.
"We are calling on the Government to immediately commit the necessary resources to make a step-change in permanent policing visibility in our capital city, especially for the night-time economy," Mr O'Keeffe concluded.
