Home » ‘Someone will die’ as teen attacks escalate 

‘Someone will die’ as teen attacks escalate 

by Carolyn Hanlon

A DUBLIN councillor has warned it is only a matter of time before someone dies, as gangs of teenagers attack each other and post the footage on social media.

It has been reported that since before Christmas, gangs of young people had been carrying out random assaults in the Cabra area and filming them for social media in what has become a competition to achieve more views.

The incidents have become more serious in recent weeks and are being organised as gangs try to “outdo” each other.

There have already been a number of serious incidents, according to Sinn Féin’s Séamas McGrattan, who is on Cabra’s Local Policing Committee, with some of the victims ending up in hospital with serious injuries. “It is escalating week by week,” said Cllr McGrattan.

“We’re trying to get awareness out there, particularly among the parents and the kids themselves, of the consequences of these attacks for everyone involved.”

Cllr McGrattan said the assaults had been shared on social media platforms such as TikTok where various gangs then “call-out” each other to provoke further attacks.

“I initially thought it was just a Cabra-Finglas thing but it’s much wider, it’s right across the city,” he said.

“They film these attacks on each other and then post them online. My concern is that one gang has to outdo the other in every video that’s posted, so there’s a serious risk that this is getting worse.” A leaflet campaign has been put in operation around the Cabra area by the local policing committee, warning parents about the attacks.

“I think it’s only a matter of time that somebody could die because, as I say, the nature of outdoing each other is very dangerous. And with the nature of head injuries, all it takes is a serious belt and one unlucky blow,” Cllr McGrattan added.

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