‘Harassed by a child’: Indian-origin woman alleges racial abuse of father in Dublin

The incident comes after an Indian-origin taxi driver and a six-year-old girl were attacked in separate incidents last week.

Amid a spate of recent attacks on Indians in Ireland, an Indian-origin woman has alleged that her 60-year-old father was subjected to racial harassment and inappropriate behaviour by two young boys at a bus stop in Dublin, Hindustan Times reported.

In a Reddit post dated August 9, a friend of the woman wrote that she was waiting for a bus with her father and sister when two boys, believed to be about seven or eight years old, approached them.

According to her account, the boys initially asked for selfies with her father, but then began mocking him. One allegedly tried to grab his wallet.

“We tried to stay calm and ignored their behaviour. But then, shockingly, one boy blocked my father’s way, made grabbing gestures toward his crotch,” she said, adding that the incident left the family feeling defenceless.

“My father, aged 60, was harassed by a child right in front of his daughters. Knowing the current climate for people of colour in Ireland and being aware of the laws, it was frustrating not to have any immediate recourse,” she wrote.

She urged the Irish government to review laws so that children can be held accountable for serious misconduct. “No one should have to feel unsafe or powerless in public spaces, regardless of their background,” the post read.

The incident comes after an Indian-origin taxi driver and a six-year-old girl were attacked in separate incidents last week. The Indian Embassy in Ireland has issued an advisory urging citizens to remain vigilant amid rising reports of physical assaults.

The Irish Embassy in India has condemned the attacks, calling them “an assault on the values of equality and human dignity that Ireland holds dear” in a statement on X.