Brendan O’Neill
When does a crime against the individual become an assault on an entire nation? This is the harrowing question at the heart of the Riad Bouchaker case in Ireland. Found guilty this week of despicable violence against young children, Bouchaker did more than shatter innocent lives – his act of barbarism felt like a hate crime against Ireland itself.
Bouchaker is a 52-year-old Algerian national. He had been living in Ireland for 20 years. On 23 November 2023, armed with a foot-long kitchen knife, he carried out a frenzied attack at an after-school crèche in Parnell Square in Dublin. In a flash of monstrous violence, he stabbed three children, leaving one girl with permanent brain damage. He also stabbed childcare worker Leanne Flynn, who heroically shielded the kids with her body.
It was an atrocity that rocked the republic. It was followed by the worst riots Dublin had seen in decades. People stormed O’Connell Street. Buses were set alight, stores smashed up. There had long been smouldering dissent over mass immigration – after the bloodshed at the crèche, that fury exploded into public view.
When will we be allowed to talk about crimes against the nation?
