Amid the rising wave of documented cases of racial abuse and assaults in Ireland, an Indian man living there shared yet another case of the sort on Reddit this week. Introducing himself as 22-year-old Indian male, the individual sought to extend solidarity to all those who may been first-hand targets of a similar heartbreaking experience. “Got harassed,” he titled the post, wherein he detailed how group of teenagers were behind the traumatic incident.
Indian man in Ireland shares how ‘nobody spoke up’ when he was racially abused at bus stop
The Redditor divulged that as he left work and was waiting for the bus, a group of teens riding in a car called him over. Thinking that they intended to ask him for directions or something of the sort, the Indian man walked up to them, only to be called “hey sweet cheeks.” Initially, he played along and claims to have “matched their energy,” and said thanks. However, the car eventually pulled up in front of him, as they allegedly called him “handsome,” and a bunch of other things he didn’t appreciate.
According to the post, the Indian man continued to play along with it, not knowing that the situation was just about to worsen. “Finally, for the third time, they came up from the other side and shouted more racist slurs,” he wrote on the Reddit threat called “r/IndiansinIreland.
He continued, “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 in Ireland further revealed that he had made it a point to be stoic about things, not letting them get to him. And yet, there was no denying that the incident that took place at the Ireland bus stop had deeply unsettled him.
“I didn’t decide to be born brown, and getting hate for that is truly disheartening and alienating,” he added to the post.
Unfortunately, no one spoke out in his support at the time. As per his account, two Irish people and “another brown guy” were there with him at the bus stop when it all happened. “Nobody spoke up,” he recalled the troubling incident, ending the post with, “We are on our own when push comes to shove. Stray strong, people.”
Redditors, including Irish people, react to racial harassment incident
Although the post was eventually locked, not allowing new comments to be posted under it, an Irish person was one of the first people to react to the Indian man’s account when he posted it a day ago.
“As an Irish person I am thoroughly ashamed that this is happening and seems to be getting worse,” they commented, still maintaining that most Irish people would never treat anyone like so. Despite their beliefs, the commenter readily acknowledged that recently reported incident painted a different picture altogether.
Anyhow, the person went on caution others to be “be vigilant and aware of your surroundings” as teenagers in a car parked near a bus stop would never be there to ask for directions. Speaking from his personal point of view, he said even as an Irish person himself “under no circumstances would I engage with a group of lads calling me out of a car window in any town.”
They added, “This is obviously more likely to happen in bigger cities and towns – and as with any city /town in any country you also have to be careful about who to interact with… it’s not how it should be but that’s what it is,” before expressing how sorry they were that the original poster had to face something like that.
Someone else wrote, “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. We are all better than this.”
An excerpt from a third Irish person’s lengthy response read, “Ireland is not innocent. It’s as racists a country as any other out there… The targeting of Indians specifically feels strategic and deliberate. The far right are a global body. They actively leverage social media channels to spread misinformation.”
How Irish president reacted to recent boom in attacks on Indian community
Irish President Michael D Higgins condemned a recent violent and “despicable attacks” on the Indian community members in Ireland in recent times. Noting that such attacks are in “stark contradiction to the values that we as people hold dear,” he added, “That any person in Ireland, particularly any young person, should be drawn into such behaviour through manipulation or provocation is to be unequivocally condemned.”
Appreciating how the Indian community benefits the country, he noted, “Their presence, their work, their culture, have been a source of enrichment and generosity to our shared life.” Furthermore, he emphasised that such harrowing acts “diminish all of us and obscure the immeasurable benefits the people of India have brought to the life of this country.”
Just this week, the Ireland India Council announced that it was pushing back the annual Indian Day celebration at Farmleigh in Dublin over the safety concerns for the members of the Indian community.
One such recent incident reported by the Irish outlet The Journal detailed that a group of teens targeted an Indian nation in Ireland’s capital earlier this month. The Indian man walking home from the park when an aggressor kicked him in the stomach, prompting others with him to begin their attack as well.
During the violent incident, the person was hit by a metal water bottle above his eye. And yet, the bystanders on the scene did not intervene. Ultimately, two male teens came out to help him and reported the case to the police. The racially charged incident put the Indian victim in the hospital, leaving him with eight stitches.