HUNDREDS of people took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday to protest against a racially-motivated attack on an Indian national in Tallaght last Saturday.
The protestors gathered at City Hall before marching to the Dáil to highlight such attacks, which they say are growing in frequency but are under-reported.
The event, organised by members of the migrant community in Ireland, saw demonstrators carrying placards reading 'Stop racist attacks' and 'Don't blame migrants, blame the system'.
In a statement this week, gardaí said they were treating the incident, which occurred in Kilnamanagh, as racially-motivated.
(Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)Footage of the bloodied victim has appeared online, alongside false claims that he had been acting inappropriately with children prior to the attack.
"We are aware of misinformation and disinformation in circulation regarding the circumstances prior to this assault — this baseless speculation is completely false," added gardaí.
The victim, who had only been in Ireland for a week, had reportedly been beaten and striped from the waist down after being set upon by a gang of teenagers.
(Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)Saturday's protest was supported by numerous organisations including United Against Racism, Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, Migrant Nurses Ireland and Unite the Union.
Ahead of the march, organisers attributed such attacks in Ireland to the rise of the far-right.
"This Indian man came here to work in a multinational company," read a statement.
"A huge contribution is made by migrant workers to Ireland's economy and society.
(Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)"But the growth of racism and the far-right internationally is allowing hate, lies and division to spread and making these type of assaults more common.
"This protest is about the entire migrant community in Ireland coming together — and of course we also appeal to Irish people, trade unions and community groups to come out in support so that we can send a powerful message to racists and build a strong united front against racism."
On Friday, a silent protest was held at the Department of Justice.by members of the Indian community in Ireland, while an anti-racism vigil was held later that evening in Tallaght.
See More: Dublin, Kilnamanagh, Tallaght
