A six-year-old Indian-origin girl became the latest victim in the ongoing spate of racist attacks in Ireland, adding to the thread of racially motivated violence in recent months, which has heightened concerns and renewed calls for urgent attention to the rise in hate-fuelled behaviour across the country.
As per reports, the six-year-old child identified as Nia Naveen, whose family hails from Kottayam in Kerala, was attacked by a group of children aged between 12 and 14 while playing outside her home.
The gang reportedly hurled racist abuse at her, calling her “dirty” and telling her to “go back to India,” before physically assaulting her.
Her mother, Anupa Achuthan, a nurse who has lived in Ireland for eight years and recently obtained Irish citizenship, told the Irish Mirror that the children punched Nia in the face, twisted her hair, and hit her with a bicycle. They also punched her in the neck during the attack.
Achuthan said that the incident took place on Monday evening when Nia had been playing outside under her supervision.
She said that she briefly stepped inside to attend to her 10-month-old son. Within minutes, Nia came running back inside, visibly shaken and crying uncontrollably.
“She couldn’t even speak—she was so scared. One of her friends later told me that five boys had attacked her, used the F-word, and called her a ‘dirty Indian.’ One of them hit her with a bicycle. They also punched her in the face and neck and pulled her hair,” said Achuthan.
Following the incident, Achuthan saw the group of boys again in the area.
“They were laughing and staring at me. They knew I was her mother,” she said.
The family had moved into the area in January, and Nia had initially been delighted to make new friends.
“She loved playing outside with her friends. But after this attack, she cried herself to sleep and told me she doesn’t want to go outside anymore. I don’t feel safe here anymore—not even in front of our own home,” said the mother of the six year old.
Although the attack was reported to the Gardaí (Irish police), Achuthan said she does not want the perpetrators to be punished but hopes they receive counselling instead.
“I understand they are children, but they need to be taught how to treat others with respect.”
Expressing her anguish, she said, “I’m a proud Indian and a happy Irish citizen. This is my second country. I work hard as a nurse to serve people and contribute to this society. Yet we are called ‘dirty’ and made to feel unwelcome. I changed my citizenship, but I still feel like I don’t belong here. I just want my children to be safe.”
This incident comes amid a string of racially motivated attacks against people of Indian origin in Ireland, including recent cases reported in the Tallaght and Clondalkin areas of Dublin.
In response to the rising number of such incidents, the Indian embassy in Dublin has issued a security advisory urging Indian nationals in Ireland to exercise caution and remain vigilant.
The advisory comes in the wake of a brutal racially motivated assaults. In in Tallaght, Dublin, on July 19, where an Indian national was stabbed multiple times in the face, stripped naked, and left bleeding for over an hour.
In another such incident, an Indian-origin entrepreneur has alleged that he was brutally assaulted by a group of teenagers in Dublin.
