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LAST UPDATE | 20 Aug 2019
GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING an assault in which a Muslim teenager was egged, physically assaulted and allegedly had her hijab removed by a gang of teenagers in Dundrum, south Dublin have appealed for witnesses.
The incident happened in Dundrum village on Sunday afternoon, close to the shopping centre.
A video was shared online showing the young woman being attacked. At one point, the victim is forced to the ground and is kicked.
The teenager was also hit with a number of eggs.
The person who shared the video online claims to be the victim’s sister. The uploader said that the attack was unprovoked and that her sister’s hijab was removed during the incident.
A number of faces of the people involved are clearly identifiable and TheJournal.ie understands gardaí have been made aware of the video.
A spokesperson said: Gardaí are investigating all the circumstances of a number of incidents, including public order and theft, on Main Street Dundrum on the afternoon of Sunday August 18th 2019 involving a group of youths – females and males.
“One incident involves an alleged report of assault on a female which is circulating on social media.”
Gardaí are appealing for anyone with information or anyone with mobile phone footage or dash cam footage to contact Dundrum Garda Station on 01 666 5600, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
“The investigation will determine the motive behind these incidents,” the spokesperson said. “At this time the incidents are not believed to be racially motivated. Investigations are continuing.”
In a statement this evening, the Muslim Sisters of Éire said: “We, the Muslim Sisters of Eire, condemn the indiscriminate attacks on the young Muslim girls in the Dundrum area.
“The Luas stop is not far from the Dundrum Shopping Center, where pedestrians and foot traffic move by. With little to no intervention, the young women received no compassion or assistance from passers by.”
“We believe that these horrendous and inhumane attacks are against all human and moral values and are crimes that cannot be justified under any circumstances,” they added.
Fine Gael Minister, and local TD for the area, Josepha Madigan said she hopes the perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice swiftly.
She said: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the assault on a Muslim girl who had her hijab taken from her in Dundrum village yesterday. I hope the perpetrators are brought to justice quickly.”
Head of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O’Gorman, also denounced the assault today.
He tweeted: “There are real consequences to a toxic discourse which stokes up division & hate. And they are often most suffered by those who are the targets of such hate, not its perpetrators. We must be better than this.”
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Ah here. Not right. In this day and age you’d think people would be more understanding and accepting of others. Our ancestors left these shores just like this girls family and I doubt we would have wanted them treated like this.
@Russel Steapot: Really? And you think that this would happen? You’re some twisted little man/woman.
@James Wallace:
I’m surprised facebook allows that, do you have a link?
@Mark H: …her family came to this shores, not left them. Sure we’ve all been egged. “Part and parcel” of living here, you could say.
@Russel Steapot: nice bit of hyperbole there russell, good man
@Russel Steapot: Whats yiur opinion on the sex attack on the 3 Irish gurls in court town . You gibshite
Doesn’t sound like a ‘minor’ assault.
@EillieEs: I think the term “minor” refers to the fact that there was no extreme violence/fatalities, not the lack of a moral compass of the misguided idiots who attacked the girl.
@Edmund Spencer: extreme violence would mean ‘extreme assault’. Ffs uninvited handshakes are considered assault these days. There’s nothing minor about this. It was racist assault. It was basically a hate crime.
@Joe Phillips:Yes, but if you remove the motives of the attacker, the physical assault that took place was a minor one.
@EillieEs: I thought the same. How is that a minor assault? She is a teen, she was egged, kicked and can you imagine the fear going through her mind? This is so upsetting. The people should be arrested and she should sue them.
@Edmund Spencer: Why would you remove the motives of the attacker? Should we just say they were helping her remove her headwear as an act of love and kindness then?
I took ‘minor’ to mean somebody who wasnt of adult age.
@Edmund Spencer: or does it men committed by a minor
We have a massive problem in this country that should have been nipped in the bud a long time ago . Groups of teenagers hanging around shopping centers during the summer with nothing to do . So like a pack of wolves they prey on anyone vulnerable . A young girl being set on whether it’s her mobile phone taken or in this case a hijab torn from her is unacceptable. No matter who you are . You have the right to walk anywhere in this country without altercation from low lives. Unfortunately the fear of going to court and the uneasy few weeks leading up to face judge Nolan is no longer a deterrent. If any of my kids did anything like that as a parent I’d go through them for a shortcut . Lot of parents today are in denial . Time parents were held accountable for unsocial behavior
And her sister stood their taking a video….the poor girl..
@Jacqui Curtis-owens: what’s your point? Because of the sister these s(umbags can be caught.
@Jacqui Curtis-owens: I thought that too but they have evidence now and will be able to identify the attackers from the video footage.
@Jacqui Curtis-owens: Good thing she did. Hopefully it’ll help the gardai locate the attackers. This type of ignorant hatred has no place here.
@Michael Keelan: oh they will identify them and give them a slap on the wrist and leave them do it again to the next person they don’t like the look of
@Jacqui Curtis-owens: I’d also add that the sister was at least hit as well as most of the video is from her phone which is on the ground.
@Ed: they probably come from ‘good homes’ and the parish priest and local tds will vouch for them in court. Tenner in the court poor box, it’ll be grand. Weren’t they only havin’ the craic.
@Jacqui Curtis-owens: did you expect her to challenge them all on her own?
If we want an a truly equal society , we need balanced reporting of incidents . If we only select to report incidents based on the ethnicity/ colour of The offenders or Victims that’s differentiation based on ethnicity / colour and that’s racist . I’m really intrigued to know why the journal haven’t reported on the Garda assaults on drogehda given the amount of videos online of it .
Why does the ethnicity come into it when we decide to report on one incident over another ? Surely it just be based on the seriousness of it and ignore ethnicity of the victim of offender
Based on the way the lowlife’s comment here on the journal, I’m not surprised
“Minor assault” my ar*e. Even using this kind of language somehow normalises the behaviour. Tougher policing is needed.
I’ve noticed a really rough element to Dundrum lately, gangs of kids possibly coming in on the Luas, attracted by the shopping centre…
@Lancer: No they are Dundrumians. The place is full of drugs.
@Lancer: Excellent noticing! Now supply the facts, actually don’t bother…..I’m sure you have none.
Josepha Madigan is only concerned how it effects the value of her and her friends property locally
@Diogenes: Did she tell you this personally, or are you just happy to ignore a child being assaulted?
any racially motivated hate crime is to be deplored. Although I will never understand how feminists can support the wearing of such oppressive garb, can you imagine if the Catholic Church advocated the wearing of veils and long long dresses below the knee for all women, there would be uproar.
@padr4: they do have a choice you know? I know several Muslim women and some wear a hijab and some don’t. Some of the ones who do wear them only do so I’m public but not at home or for family gatherings, some wear them all the time.
Mans hat stole in Kimmage ? Seriously do you not see the implications of such an attack on a young girl ? This my friend is how division starts . It’s how people learn to hate . This wasn’t as trivial as you are making it out . This was an attack on a young ladies culture and clearly sends a message to others . What’s next ? History shows us what happens when you single out a race a creed . Kicking in doors and rounding people up . Is that the world you want to live in? I suggest you take a trip to Poland and visit some of the sites there that show you the depths hate can sink mankind to. You should educate yourself as to why this isn’t as trivial as a mans hat stolen in kimmage
Glad to see this place is still full of people deflecting and trying to pretend this wasn’t because of anti-immigrant sentiment. The poor girl, I only hope the sister capturing the video helps find out who did this.
In breaking news, man hat stole in Kimmage..
I don’t think it’s racist, I live in Dundrum, and usually it’s a fight about a boy, calling it racist is completely wrong, Muslim’s have teenage tendicies too, a fight with girls is usually over a boy.
Seen the video. It’s hard to tell its a hate crime. Looks like 2 girls fighting.
@Dotty Mc Dot: Look again, its a gang of lads and girls attacking 2 girls with eggs and fists and kicking them on the ground!
I was on that street at that time (was going watching the hurling in a pub) but didn’t see anything going on and Dundrum village doesn’t really have a bad ant-social issue.. Those little s(umbags deserve a kicking!
@Jeremy Moynihan: thanks for the info Jeremy
@john: any time John! In all seriousness though, what I was getting at was there wasn’t any obvious signs of trouble (ie. Gangs of you lads loitering/drinking etc.)
@Jeremy Moynihan: Must not have happened Jeremy if You didn’t see it.
@Paul Whitehead: I clearly believe it happened – I said the guys that did it deserve a kicking!
Cowardly, ignorant, ill educated lowlifes, hunting in packs and incapable of individual thought. Ganging up to attack a teenage girl is cowardly.
I notice the usual alt right knuckle draggers who frequent the comments are conspicuous by their absence which is true to their modus operandi – only insinuate racist hate and xenophobia – don’t outrightly day it.
Don’t know how they can say alleged to things like this when there is footage to prove it.
So this is what the Garda call a “minor” assault.
@David Scully: “minor” is a refrence to the fact that a child was attacked!
I know it’s just Garda terminology but there is nothing ‘minor’ about a racist assault , surely??
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