An Indian man who was violently attacked by a group of teenagers in Dublin says he will return to India within days, citing fears for his safety and growing anxiety within the local Indian community.
The man, who has asked not to be named, said he was assaulted by three people on Sunday evening at around 5.30pm in Fairview Park.
Speaking to The Journal, he said he was walking home through the park when a teenager riding an electric scooter approached and kicked him in the stomach without warning.
As he attempted to walk away, he said two other young males joined in and began striking him repeatedly.
He fell to the ground under the force of the attack, where the group allegedly continued to punch and kick him.
The victim said one of the attackers then took his stainless steel water bottle and struck him above the eye, causing a deep gash and heavy bleeding.
He claimed there were other members of the public nearby during the assault, but none came to his aid at that moment.
Two teenage boys later intervened and contacted gardaí, according to the victim.
Emergency services attended the scene, and he was taken to hospital, where he required eight stitches to close the wound.
In a statement to The Journal, a Garda spokesperson confirmed officers are investigating the incident.
They appealed for anyone with information to contact Clontarf Garda Station on (01) 666 4800, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
The assault comes amid a wider public discussion about recent attacks on members of the Indian community in Ireland.
President Michael D Higgins on Monday described such incidents as “despicable” and expressed his “deep sense of gratitude” for the contribution of the Indian community to Irish society.
“Their presence, their work, their culture, have been a source of enrichment and generosity to our shared life,” President Higgins said in a statement.
“We are all mindful of the immense contribution this community has made, and continues to make, to so many aspects of Irish life — in medicine, nursing, the caring professions, in cultural life, in business and enterprise, to cite just some,” he added.
The President said the recent assaults “diminish all of us and obscure the immeasurable benefits the people of India have brought to the life of this country”.
He noted that Ireland “has long been shaped by migration, both outward and inward” and reminded people that Irish emigrants often relied on “the generosity of strangers” abroad.
Such attacks, he warned, “damage and corrode the most fundamental and enduring instincts of Irishness: those of hospitality, friendship, and care for others”.
The victim of Sunday’s assault said friends in the Indian community are now “scared to go outside”, with some already booking flights back to India.
“I’ve made my decision,” he said. “I’m leaving Ireland in the coming days because I don’t feel safe here anymore.”
Editing by M10News Crime Desk | Contact: crime@m10news.com
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