Indian Man Harassed With Racist Slurs By Irish Teens: 'Didn't Decide To Be Born Brown'

Amid the recent spate of racist attacks against Indian citizens in Ireland, another man has claimed that he was harassed at a bus stop. The 22-year-old man took to Reddit to share his ordeal, stating that a group of teenagers hurled racist slurs at him while others waiting at the bus stop did not intervene.

"I'm an Indian male, 22. After I left work and while waiting for the bus, a group of young teenagers in a car called me over. I naturally thought they were asking for directions or something. I went up to the car, and they called me “hey sweet cheeks.” I played along, matched their energy, and said thanks, really appreciated it," the user wrote in the r/IndiansinIreland subreddit.

The OP added that the car pulled up a second time in front of him with the Irish occupants calling him 'handsome' and a bunch of other nonsense.

"Finally, for the third time, they came up from the other side and shouted more racist slurs. They drove off, and when I was boarding the bus, those lads were still there, probably waiting for their next victim who'd give them the reaction they wanted, which I believe I didn't."

The Indian man said he didn't let them get to him, but the entire incident was 'truly disheartening and alienating".

"I try to be stoic about things and not let them get to me, but I didn't decide to be born brown. There were two Irish people at the stop with me and another brown guy I don't know, and nobody spoke up. We are on our own when push comes to shove. Stay strong, people."

See the viral post here:

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'As an Irish person...'

Reacting to the post, a section of social media users sympathised with the OP, while others apologised for the action of the Irish teens.

"Start videoing these idiots with your smartphones. Including the polite, civilised Irish folks who would never harass Indians, but then do nothing when it's happening in front of them," said one user, while another added: "I'm Irish and am sorry this happened to you. Also, sorry that the Irish people that were there with you chose to do nothing."

A third commented: "As an Irish person I am thoroughly ashamed that this is happening and seems to be getting worse. The majority of normal Irish people wouldn't ever treat anyone this way."

Earlier this month, a six-year-old Indian-origin girl was subjected to racist abuse by a gang of children aged 12 to 14. Nia Naveen, whose family hails from Kottayam in Kerala, was playing outside her house in Waterford City in southeast Ireland when the Irish teenagers called her "dirty" and asked her to "go back to India".

Ms Naveen's mother, Anupa Achuthan, said the gang punched her daughter in the face, hit her private parts with a bicycle, punched her on the neck and twisted her hair.

Ms Achuthan, a nurse, has lived in Ireland for eight years with her husband and recently got Irish citizenship. Her children were born in the country. The family moved into the house in January, and everything was going well until the racist incident.

Disclaimer: NDTV has not independently verified the authenticity of the claims made in the Reddit post