"They Were Kids, Probably 16-19 Years": Indian Man Attacked With Knife In Ireland

A 22-year-old Indian man who was recently harassed with racist slurs and assaulted with a knife by three teenagers in Ireland has narrated the turn of events that left him injured while returning home. Speaking to NDTV, he also flagged a spate of recent anti-immigrant attacks targeting Indians, calling it "unacceptable".

The man, who did not want to reveal his identity, said he had just deboarded the bus and was just about 300-350 metres from his doorstep when three teenagers emerged from an alley and surrounded him.

"Before I could say or react to anything, the guy in the middle grabbed me by the collar, held a blunt knife to my neck, and asked me for money. I told him that I don't carry loose cash. I have some spare change in my bag and my pockets, and they could take it," he said.

He said he repeatedly denied having any cash on him and offered to transfer money online, but they abused him and kept demanding cash. At one moment, when one of the attackers let go of his collar, he tried to push him away.

"They were kids, probably between the ages of 16 and 19. I pushed them away, and a scuffle broke out during which the main aggressor hit me a couple of times on my collarbone. Thankfully, it was a dull knife; it left a couple of bruises on my skin, nothing too serious. It is alarming considering that the area that I live in is safe," he told NDTV and shared a photo that showed injuries near his collarbone.

The incident follows a series of attacks on Indians in Ireland, hinting at a rising anti-immigrant sentiment. In one such incident in Waterford city earlier this month, a six-year-old Indian-origin girl faced racist abuse by a gang of children who were barely in their teenage years. In what was not just shocking but infuriating, she was called "dirty" and asked to "go back to India".

Pointing to such incidents as "unfortunate" and "unacceptable", the student flagged a sharp rise in attacks against Indians in Ireland. He said when he went to the police, they played it down as a regular attack and not targeting Indians.

This, "I think, is grossly untrue because anyone who's been following the news, they've seen that not only have the attacks become increasingly vicious, they're also growing in frequency. Like at this point in Dublin, at least two to three incidents are reported every single day," said the student.

"It is a cause of concern because we are not illegal immigrants. We've worked our way to get here. We're paying hefty student fees to study here, and the least that the Irish government can do is make sure that we are safe. Nobody should have to worry about being attacked when they are walking back home from the bus stop," he added.

The incident had come to light after the man shared the incident on a Reddit group. The attackers had first called him "sweet cheeks", then returned to shout more racist slurs at him, he recalled. "I didn't decide to be born brown. We are on our own when push comes to shove. Stay strong, people," his post read.

Prashant Shukla, chairman, Ireland India Council, said such attacks don't reflect the Irish culture and pointed to a "deeper conspiracy" of the extremist agenda.

"These attacks don't reflect Irish ethos or culture. Everyone in Ireland condemns such violent attacks. We feel that 1% is taking over the population of the country in this violent way. The hate is inflicted by extreme rightist and leftist agendas," he told NDTV.

He further said that the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment is driven in part by hate propaganda circulating on social media. 

"This hostility has also manifested in a growing number of organised anti-immigrant protests recently nationwide. Importantly, the source of this hate campaign is a matter of concern and is subject to deeper investigation, as it has been observed that some of the phone calls connected to these activities appear to originate from foreign numbers," he said.

Such developments, he said, not only threaten the safety and dignity of immigrant communities but also "endanger social harmony and the principles of inclusivity on which our society is built".

"No sensible person would justify this violence," he said, adding that the Council has taken up the incidents with the country's ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs. "They have shown full support to curb the violence and assured that if there's a need to change the laws, they are open to considering these options," he said.