KBC Bank, Sandwith Street, Dublin 2

An investigation is under way into a fire at the KBC Bank building in Dublin last night.

It is understood that windows were broken and an accelerant was used in the fire on Sandwith Street, at around 11.25pm.

Minor damage was caused to internal walls, windows and blinds.

Investigation into fire at KBC Bank in Dublin (RTÉ)

Yesterday: Anna Reporting

The Other Guys

Pic: Wikipedia

42 thoughts on “Burned”

    1. b

      ordinary decent people work there doing their jobs

      so it’s clear you’re on the side of people who use violence to intimidate?

      1. tipsy wipsy

        Always the excuse
        Ordinary decent never assaulted and turfed out a family and ordinary decent never used baseball bats on security personal
        One side worse than other but bank even worse

    2. Col

      Starina, I usually feel like I’m on your side, but you can’t be saying it’s fine to set fire to a building because the owners will be able to claim on insurance?
      What does this achieve?

  4. Brother Barnabas

    I remember some scumbag developer knocked the original – late 90s, I think. it was one of the finest art deco buildings in Ireland. reconstructions don’t quite cut it.

    1. Dhod

      I didn’t know this was a reconstruction. So many of the nicer buildings around the city have been butchered. Are there any large buildings in the city that weren’t built by the Brits that are pleasing on the eye? I can’t think of any.

        1. Joe Small

          The first purpose build Government Department post-independence. It was a Lemass-inspired build. Saw it on open house day – old fashioned but nice.

        2. Brother Barnabas

          the business, enterprise + innovation building was designed by richard boyd barrett’s grandfather. and, yes, it’s a wonderful building.

          I’ve come to like the lexicon- you have to spend some time inside to really appreciate it, imo

  5. Otis Blue

    That building has an interesting history being a replica of an 1940’s Art Deco garage, illegally demolished by hotelier Noel O’Callaghan overnight on June Bank Holiday in 1999. The original building was believed to be the first in which reinforced concrete was used and in which fluorescent lighting was installed. O’Callaghan the owner of the nearby Mont Clare, Alexander and Davenport Hotels was later forced to reinstate it to avoid prosecution.

    In the wake of the demolition, the planning laws were changed to increase the maximum jail term for the illegal demolition of listed buildings, from two to five years. The maximum fine of €1.27 million remained unchanged.

    http://www.archiwik.org/index.php?title=%27Archer%27s_Garage%27,_Dublin

  7. Pat Harding

    Let’s be clear about this, irrespective of what you might think of banks or the financial services, whoever set fire to that building are criminal scum. Their mindset is criminal, their actions are criminal and their motivation is criminal. These people would happily burn down homes, engage in punishment beatings and worse, if left unchecked. They are the nasty undercurrent that exists in every society, that does not respect the rule of law. All they need is an excuse or a ’cause’ to let their violence take hold. But behind these actions are other people who incite this type of conduct, extreme leftists, militant republicans (sometimes the same) who are engaged in perpetual propaganda designed to manipulate the ignorant into violence. The result is never good.

    1. Eoin

      I’m sure there are decent people working at KBC and if this is a deliberate act of arson, it’s to be condemned.

      However, which KBC employee is being prevented from having this convo on the phone today

      “Hello, is that GS Security, yes, right, we’ll need 20 of the boys for an eviction on Monday, yes, a bit of rough stuff is expected but they’re in their 50s and 60s, so a few digs and restraining should do it. Ex-military, Northern Irish, no problem at all. Yes, and bring a few alsations will you. We’ll need eight of you to stay over in the house, you’ll need sleeping bags, it’s fairly small and bring wellingtons, it’s a basic farmstead after all. And try and make sure your vans and cars have the correct tax and registration numbers. Yes. And a merry Christmas to you too”

      Roscommon looks like the start of the fightback. And from the start of January, Sinn Fein will be going around the country to establish community anti eviction teams. Looks like things are a-changing in this place.

      2. rotide

        “if this is a deliberate act of arson”

        If? So the brick just threw itself through the window and the office spontaeously combusted at that moment? Cop on you apologist.

        Noone has conversations like tjhat, but keep stirring the pot and maybe someone will get really hurt and then you’ll get to ask even more questions.

        “Sinn Fein will be going around the country to establish community anti eviction teams”
        Well they certainly have the experience in forming militias with intent on violence. Seems like you’re intent on seeing that happen.

      3. Owen C

        “Roscommon looks like the start of the fightback”

        By fightback, you mean repeat arsons across the country? Interestingly, arson was also the favoured “fightback” against a recent attempt to provide accommodation to some refugees up in Donegal. but we shouldn’t draw any conclusions into the unwillingess of certain parts of Irish society (hint: rural, right wing, probably voted for Peter Casey and subscribe to Gemma O’D’s facebook rants) to adhere to basic rules and laws.

        1. Owen C

          Roscommon-Galway had the second highest Peter Casey vote (34.5%) in the recent Presidential election. *shocked face*

          2. Eoin

            I wouldn’t have tagged the Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice as right wing. He’s a farmer with a focus on rural affairs. I would have said he was left to centre leaning. Maybe someone should ask him. This is what he said in the Dail the week of the violent eviction in Roscommon

            “In my opinion, many of the banks involved are scum. Yesterday in County Roscommon a group of 20 or 30 men with dogs came from the North, aided and abetted by An Garda Síochána who blocked off two roads. The group of men pegged three people, two of whom were elderly, out of a house and left them on the side of the road. They were aided and abetted by An Garda Síochána, which is disgraceful. Irish people need to wake up, especially if people are coming from the North. We must take them on and stop what is happening.”

            [This is the first time in 2018 that the word “scum” was uttered in the Oireachtas]

            So, you have Sinn Fein, you have the three TDs who occupied KBC for seven hours this week, you have Michael Fitzmaurice TD. I don’t think you can write off the response to the eviction in Roscommon as extreme or niche.

            The main lesson to be learned from the response to Roscommon is, KBC or Cabot, bank or vulture, will think twice about evicting people from their homes. From January, there’ll be SF-backed anti-eviction teams established in communities.

          3. Owen C

            “I wouldn’t have tagged the Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice as right wing. He’s a farmer with a focus on rural affairs. I would have said he was left to centre leaning.”

            Socially he is clearly of a right wing persuasion (like much of rural ireland). Let us look at the evidence

            “I wouldn’t be the biggest fan of Michael D”
            He backed Gemma O’D for a Presidential nomination
            He voted against the abortion bill
            He’s a climate change sceptic

          4. Eoin

            @Owen C, I would have assessed him as left wing based on some of his comments about fat cats, tax and state support for rural Ireland. But, for sake of argument, let’s say you’re right and he is right wing.

            He’s joined by the Shinners who are, by general consensus I would have said, left-wing. They wouldn’t be as left as the socialists, but they’d still be leftish of centre.

            So, you have (in your words) the right wing and, quite clearly in Sinn Fein, the left wing of Irish politics responding in robust terms to the Roscommon eviction.

            Must be worrying times for banks and vultures. Who knows, that rainbow of political opposition to their practices might produce some legislation in 2019, wouldn’t it be fantastic if they did what the highly evolved Belgians did with vultures and place limits on the recoverability of traded debt. Happy Christmas to all!

          5. Owen C

            The highly evolved Belgians placed a limit on what buyers of distressed SOVEREIGN debt could get in return when they are unwilling to cooperate in a debt restructure.

            And yes, you’re right, we have a bunch of social right wingers, and bunch of left wingers who supported the violent bombing of UK shopping centres in the 80s and 90s, joining together in a cause which has now seen a bank office firebombed. That you see this as a cause for celebration is the concerning part of all of this.

      4. Andrew

        The likes of barstool republicans like you Eoin won’t be doing anything. Your fellow knuckle draggers might do something and will be caught or set themselves on fire soon enough.
        Sinn Feín are going backwards with their tacit support of this kind of stuff and this will be reflected in the ballot box.

        1. b

          if it wasn’t so sinister, it’s laughable for people to complain about a possible loyalist linked security firm and cheer on Sinn Fein organised “anti-eviction” squads as if they would have no link to republicans with a lean to violence

          I thought the ‘balaclava slipped’ comment from LV was a bit of a cheap shot but appears isn’t too far off the mark.

  8. Junkface

    Inciting violence and arson is not the way forward at all. Its dangerously stupid, no matter who the target is. We can’t have a situation in the city were mobs do what they like. Remember the Anti-Globalisation marches last year in Germany, maybe Hamburg? Where anarchists went around setting parked cars on fire, belonging to ordinary, innocent citizens. Totally infuriating and stupid!

  9. anne

    If the building completely burned down, KBCs dodgy dealings would be up in flames. Illegalities with Tracker mortgages, gone.. up in smoke. How fortuitous.

    Could be an insider jobby..Rambo from up north should be interviewed.. he’s been seen mumbling around Belfast pubs talking to himself..”I could always burn the building”.

  10. Eoin

    The Shinners are mobilising, statement from their justice spokesperson this afternoon.

    “It is clear that it will require a broad coalition of ordinary people and communities to defeat the alliance of bankers, landlords and the political establishment.

    “That is why Sinn Féin will be on the road from early January meeting with communities with a view to setting up anti-eviction campaign groups.

    “Enough is enough – it’s time to take a stand to stop evictions. I urge everyone to get active in the campaign.”

    1. Eoin

      And their Limerick TD is just as keen

      “What happened there was totally unacceptable; that masked people like that can go in and evict Irish people out of their homes. It’s absolutely simply not acceptable and we won’t stand for that”

      There’s been a fairly consistent and robust attitude from the Shinners this week, from Pearse Doherty to Matt Carthy to Kathleen Funchion, Donnchadh O’Laoghaire and Maurice Quinlivan and Paul Givan.

      Interesting days ahead in 2019….

      1. anne

        And our early riser Leo just ensured more support for them with his sneering. He’d be better off having a few lie ins in fairness.

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