Ireland's prime minister condemns anti-immigrant rioters in Dublin

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Ireland's prime minister on Friday condemned anti-immigrant protesters who rampaged through central Dublin after three young children were stabbed, saying the rioters simply wanted to cause chaos, not protect the country's way of life.

Police made a number of further arrests on Friday evening as they mounted a significant security operation in Dublin to ensure that there was no repeat of Thursday's disorder. A number of people were taken away in police vans following sporadic altercations.

Police arrested 34 people after Thursday night's rioting when up to 500 people looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw rocks at crowd control officers equipped with helmets and shields.

The violence began after rumors circulated that a foreign national was responsible for the attack outside a Dublin school on Thursday afternoon. Authorities haven't disclosed the suspect's nationality.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Ireland's capital had endured two attacks, one on innocent children and the other on "our society and the rule of law."

"These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland, they did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people, they did not do it out of any sense of patriotism, however warped," Varadkar told reporters on Friday morning. "They did so because they're filled with hate, they love violence, they love chaos and they love causing pain to others."

A 5-year-old girl was in critical condition at a Dublin hospital and a teacher's aide was in serious condition, police said. A 6-year-old girl continues to receive treatment for less serious injuries and another child was discharged overnight. The alleged assailant, who was tackled by witnesses, remains hospitalized in serious condition.