Indian man attacked in Dublin says his community ‘no longer feels safe' here
Santosh Yadav was assaulted at around 11.15pm on Sunday, 27 July close to Clondalkin train station.
Yadav told
The Journal
that he was walking with his friend back to his apartment after having dinner when the assault happened.
'Suddenly there is a group of five or six teenagers, some of them on bicycles and electric scooters,' said Yadav.
'They approached from behind, I couldn't see them, and they snatched my glasses and broke them.
'They started hitting me and it all happened within three minutes or so but I was shocked, I was not aware that any such thing could happen.'
Image of the broken glasses
Santosh Yadav
Santosh Yadav
He said the group hit him all over his body.
'I was bleeding and after hitting me, they immediately left.
'My friend was screaming and she was trying to save me.'
He was taken by ambulance to Blanchardstown Hospital and was there for close to 15 hours.
He suffered a broken cheek bone and said that he whole face was swelled after the attack.
Yadav said he feels that he was attacked 'based on my skin colour' and added that his attackers were 'white teenagers'.
Santosh Yadav's face after the attack
Indian Embassy warning
Earlier today,
the Indian Embassy in Ireland issued a safety advisory to citizens after a recent increase in physical attacks against citizens.
Advertisement
The Embassy said it has been in touch with the relevant authorities concerning an 'increase in physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland'.
It has advised Indian citizens to 'take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours'.
On such assault occurred on 19 July, when
a man in his 40s was assaulted by a group of youths in the Parkhill Road area of Kilnamanagh in south-west Dublin
after being
falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour.
The man was stripped of his pants and underwear by the gang during the vicious attack.
Gardaí have appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the assault to come forward and no arrests have been made so far in connection with the assault.
Yadav told
The Journal
that it is 'very unfortunate' that the Indian Embassy had to issue the safety advisory.
'This country used to feel very safe, but now things are not that good,' said Yadav.
'The Indian Embassy came to my house and they also reported the incident, and the gardaí came to my house too.
'There are so many other incidents happening and lot of people are being targeted.'
Yadav has called for 'concrete measures' to be taken to prevent these incidents and make member of the Indian community 'feel safe to walk on the streets'.
Yadav said that he and others like him are 'immigrants who are here to work hard'.
'We have left our family in another country and we are here to live peacefully.'
He added that in Ireland, it 'feels as though there is no law against these teenagers'.
'More is needed to ensure that these teenagers are going in a good direction.'
He called for more education in school so that teenagers can learn 'human values and ethics and empathy' in order to be 'a good human being'.
'If they are doing this now, once they grow up, they will keep on doing these kind of incidents if nothing changes.'
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Assault victim links attack to racism and rise in misinformation
Several recent attacks on migrants in Ireland, some reportedly linked to racism and misinformation, have sparked growing concern among some minority communities. One recent victim, an Indian man, says he believes he was attacked without provocation because of his skin colour. On Sunday night, 27 July, an Indian man was walking with a friend near Clondalkin Fonthill train station in west Dublin, when a group of teenagers approached them from behind. "Suddenly, these five, six teenagers, came from behind and snatched my glasses. I asked [for] my glasses back, and then they all started hitting me," Dr Santosh Yadav, who has lived in Ireland for four years, told RTÉ. Dr Yadav said he was punched and kicked repeatedly. "They hit me on my face, on my head, and on the back, on my chest, and leg, and knees, and everywhere. I was getting blood from my cheek, from my nose, from my ears, everywhere. "It was so sudden and so shocking that I could not even see their faces properly." Dr Yadav said the attackers fled the scene immediately and he called gardaí, who arranged an ambulance to take him to Connolly Blanchardstown Hospital. He remained there for over 12 hours, undergoing scans and X-rays, which showed a fractured cheekbone. Gardaí told RTÉ they "received report of an alleged incident of assault" in the area at that time and that a male was brought to hospital "for treatment of serious injuries." They said investigations were ongoing. According to Dr Yadav, racist incidents targetting members of the Indian community have become more frequent in the past year. He says he was the victim of an unprovoked racist attack. "I see in the last year, these incidents are increasing... Before that, it was good, but in the last one year, these cases are happening a lot... This time, I was somehow unlucky enough," Dr Yadav said. Dr Yadav first came to Ireland four years ago to work as a postdoctoral scientist. He spent his first 18 months in Galway before relocating to Dublin, where he now works as a senior data scientist at one of Enterprise Ireland's European Digital Innovation Hubs. He said the impact of the attack has been severe. "It's very painful and also frustrating whenever I remember that incident. It gives me so much anxiety and frustration." He says it makes him question whether "living in Dublin [is] safe." Following the attack, he was contacted by the Indian Embassy, who told him similar incidents have been happening with increased regularity. Many Indian students and workers who face racism are reluctant to report it due to fears around visa status or employment, according to Dr Yadav. Within the "Indian community, especially, everyone is scared of going out and many people have decided to leave this country," he added. As well as being fuelled by racism, Dr Yadav also believes the attack was motivated by misinformation. "I feel that we are being targeted because we have a different skin colour... I think some misinformation or some belief they we are taking their job or something." "But we are working so hard. We are paying 40% of our salary every month," Dr Yadav said. Just over a week earlier, on Saturday 19 July, another Indian man was violently attacked and partially stripped in the Kilnamanagh area of southwest Dublin. The high-profile incident was covered widely in the media. The attackers, who took the man's trousers and beat him in the street, also falsely accused him of acting inappropriately around children. While attempting to seek help, the man was allegedly subjected to a second assault, believed to have stemmed from false claims about his conduct. An Garda Síochána say that the allegations against the victim were unfounded and are treating the incident as a potential hate crime. Footage of the aftermath of the attack, along with false claims about the victim, spread rapidly online and were amplified by known anti-immigration accounts. The man, who had arrived in Ireland just three weeks earlier to begin work with Amazon, sustained multiple injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment. On Friday, the Indian Embassy issued a safety advisory to its citizens, following what it described as "an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently." "All Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours," the advisory said, adding an emergency contact number. The recent attacks are not limited to Indian nationals. In recent weeks, other migrants have also been targeted, often following false claims spread online. Earlier this month on 1 July, an Afghan man who is seeking asylum from the Irish State was attacked in the Parnell Street area of Limerick city a day after false accusations were made about him approaching children in a video posted on social media. Gardaí described the claims as "misinformation and disinformation." In another case last year, Nigerian architect Onyema Udeze was attacked in Dublin after being falsely accused of rape. Mr Udeze was in Dublin to speak at a construction industry event at the RDS. Gardaí said the allegations were unfounded, but they again gained considerable traction online. Rise in hate crimes The number of hate crimes recorded by gardaí has increased over the past four years, following the introduction of a standardised hate-crime recording system in 2021. That year, gardaí recorded a total of 448 hate crimes and hate-related incidents. That figure rose to 582 in 2022, 651 in 2023, and 676 in 2024 - the highest total since the system was introduced. However, Gardaí note that hate-related crime is under-reported in Ireland. Race has consistently been the most recorded motive for these incidents.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
India's embassy in Dublin warns citizens of increasing violent attacks in Ireland
Indian citizens have been warned they are at increasing risk of being attacked in Ireland. The alert follows a number of recent violent incidents. India's embassy in Dublin has issued an advisory to its citizens urging them to avoid isolated areas and to be generally more conscious of their security and surroundings. 'There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently. The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned of Ireland in this regard,' the note states. READ MORE It includes an emergency number for anyone in need of assistance. 'All Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours,' the embassy said. [ 'A lot of Indians are being targeted': Man suffers cheekbone fracture after attack by gang of teenagers in Dublin ] The warning comes two weeks after an Indian man was attacked in Tallaght by a group that stripped him of some of his clothing and subjected him to a beating. He suffered two large wounds to his forehead, a broken nose, black eyes and bruises to his legs and arms. The victim, an IT worker aged in his 40s, was left wandering bloodied in a residential area with no trousers after being targeted by a group of teenagers in Kilnamanagh. He was walking to the Vinayaka Hindu temple in Kingswood, following a Google Maps route, when the group surrounded him, taunting him and questioning why he had come to Ireland, before setting upon him. Local resident Jennifer Murray spotted the victim as she was driving in the area and stopped to go to his aid. She gave him a blanket and waited with him for an ambulance to arrive. After the attack, videos of the man were posted on social media, along with false claims he had exposed himself. The posts were amplified by far-right agitators and garnered hundreds of thousands of views within days. Later that day, also in Tallaght, a young man from India who is attending college in Dublin, was attacked by a group of teenagers in Seán Walsh Park at about 6pm. He suffered a broken nose. Indians in Ireland have said there have been other attacks, which have not been reported to gardaí, but details of which were shared on community WhatsApp groups. Both the attacks in Tallaght are being investigated by gardaí, who have appealed for witnesses to come forward. In reply to queries, An Garda Síochána said it 'takes hate crime very seriously' with each offence 'professionally investigated and victims supported during the criminal justice process'. The Garda has said hate-related crime was underreported. 'An Garda Síochána continues to encourage any victim of any crime to report this to An Garda Síochána including any indication that the crime may have a hate motivation,' it said. 'The increase in reporting of such incidents has been noted in each year of reporting, which is positive.' Garda data shows a 12 per cent increase in the number of hate-related incidents reported in the State between 2022 and 2023. Most of these were linked to the victims' ethnicity or nationality.
The Journal
12 hours ago
- The Journal
Indian man attacked in Dublin says his community ‘no longer feels safe' here
AN INDIAN MAN who was attacked last weekend in Dublin has said that the Indian community 'no longer feels safe' in Ireland. Santosh Yadav was assaulted at around 11.15pm on Sunday, 27 July close to Clondalkin train station. Yadav told The Journal that he was walking with his friend back to his apartment after having dinner when the assault happened. 'Suddenly there is a group of five or six teenagers, some of them on bicycles and electric scooters,' said Yadav. 'They approached from behind, I couldn't see them, and they snatched my glasses and broke them. 'They started hitting me and it all happened within three minutes or so but I was shocked, I was not aware that any such thing could happen.' Image of the broken glasses Santosh Yadav Santosh Yadav He said the group hit him all over his body. 'I was bleeding and after hitting me, they immediately left. 'My friend was screaming and she was trying to save me.' He was taken by ambulance to Blanchardstown Hospital and was there for close to 15 hours. He suffered a broken cheek bone and said that he whole face was swelled after the attack. Yadav said he feels that he was attacked 'based on my skin colour' and added that his attackers were 'white teenagers'. Santosh Yadav's face after the attack Indian Embassy warning Earlier today, the Indian Embassy in Ireland issued a safety advisory to citizens after a recent increase in physical attacks against citizens. Advertisement The Embassy said it has been in touch with the relevant authorities concerning an 'increase in physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland'. It has advised Indian citizens to 'take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours'. On such assault occurred on 19 July, when a man in his 40s was assaulted by a group of youths in the Parkhill Road area of Kilnamanagh in south-west Dublin after being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour. The man was stripped of his pants and underwear by the gang during the vicious attack. Gardaí have appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the assault to come forward and no arrests have been made so far in connection with the assault. Yadav told The Journal that it is 'very unfortunate' that the Indian Embassy had to issue the safety advisory. 'This country used to feel very safe, but now things are not that good,' said Yadav. 'The Indian Embassy came to my house and they also reported the incident, and the gardaí came to my house too. 'There are so many other incidents happening and lot of people are being targeted.' Yadav has called for 'concrete measures' to be taken to prevent these incidents and make member of the Indian community 'feel safe to walk on the streets'. Yadav said that he and others like him are 'immigrants who are here to work hard'. 'We have left our family in another country and we are here to live peacefully.' He added that in Ireland, it 'feels as though there is no law against these teenagers'. 'More is needed to ensure that these teenagers are going in a good direction.' He called for more education in school so that teenagers can learn 'human values and ethics and empathy' in order to be 'a good human being'. 'If they are doing this now, once they grow up, they will keep on doing these kind of incidents if nothing changes.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
