Sinn Fein leader says Garda should have 'nipped Dublin disorder in the bud' as people began to gather

She said: “I came to the scene around 4pm. At that point it was very obvious to me that there was a very menacing air… there was only a small number of people gathering at that point.

“They (Garda) should have shut down the growing and obvious assembly of people whose determination would be to cause trouble. They have experience of these people before.”

Mrs McDonald added: “It was obvious from early on that the small crowd who had gathered were in contact with others. It was clear and obvious across social media platforms that they were mobilising, and they were mobilising for trouble.

“I have spoken to a lot of people over the weekend, some who were in the vicinity as these events rolled out, others who were not, and to a man and a woman they were all able to say that they saw this coming.

“Anybody who has been following things, who has a sense of the atmosphere in the city, knew that this was going to become very, very difficult.

“There ought to have been a policing plan which nipped this in the bud. That didn’t happen. Some of that was around resources and capacity, others it seemed were around decision-making and leadership."

The attack was rumoured to have been carried out by Algerian man, fuelling anti immigrant feeling, but the details of the attacker have not been confirmed. Police ruled out a terrorist motive.

The Sinn Fein leader also said the “days of excuses” from Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris are over.

“The days of excuses or dodging the realities on the ground by the minister, by the Government or by the Garda Commissioner are over.

“People have been patient with them.”

An Irish Government minister has said there will be a “full review” into the policing of Thursday’s riots in Dublin city centre.

Further Education Minister Simon Harris said: “What happened on Thursday was the most despicable, horrific attack on democracy, on our city and on the institutions of the State, and it will be met with a full response and there will have to be a review.”

Mr Harris, who previously served as justice minister, said there had been a “conflation” of issues and the riot was not just a “far-right gathering”.

“We had the horrific, despicable attack on children and care workers on Parnell Square, and we think of all of them; we than saw a far-right gathering, if I may call it that; we then saw absolute opportunistic criminality and thuggery.”

Speaking to RTE radio, he said the scale and the speed at which Thursday’s events unfolded was unprecedented and unforeseen: “It happened in real time. It happened in rapid speed, and the gardai responded and responded in force.

“But it is also fair to say that the far right have been trying to sow division in this country and communities right across the country for a significant period of time.”