Indian man to leave Ireland after violent attack, says community scared amid assaults

London: An Indian man living in Dublin, who was attacked by a group of teenagers over the weekend, has said he is returning to India after the incident and that members of the community are feeling scared in Ireland.

The man, who did not wish to be named, told Irish media that he was attacked by three people on Sunday evening as he walked home from Fairview Park when one of the group, while riding an electric scooter, kicked him in the stomach.

As he tried to walk away, two others joined in the attack and started hitting him, he told ‘The Journal’.

The group continued to kick and punch him even after he fell to the ground and one of them took the man’s metal water bottle and hit him above the eye, causing a deep cut and heavy bleeding.

He was later taken to hospital, where he received stitches for his injuries.

The Irish police said it was investigating the incident, the latest in a string of recent incidents of violent assaults on members of the Indian community.

The man said his parents, based in India, were concerned after the attack and asked him to consider returning, which he has now organised.

He added that many of his friends are now “scared to go outside” and some are planning on going back to India as a result.

Ambassador of India to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra had a meeting with Tony Tighe, Detective Inspector, Liaison and Protection, and Ciaran P Nunan, Inspector of An Garda Síochána, the Indian Embassy in Ireland said in a social media statement on Wednesday.

It followed Ireland President Michael D Higgins issuing a strongly worded statement to “unequivocally” condemn the “despicable attacks” on members of the Indian community.

“The recent despicable attacks on members of the Indian community stand in stark contradiction to the values that we as a people hold dear,” said Higgins on Tuesday.

The president's intervention followed a similarly firm statement by the Archbishop of Dublin against the “truly shocking” and "unprovoked" attacks.

On Monday, the Ireland India Council announced the postponement of its annual “India Day” celebrations, planned in Dublin for Sunday, amid security concerns for the community.

An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force, has said that its investigations into the recent attacks remain ongoing and that it is “liaising with the injured parties in each case”.