Indian woman harassed in Ireland, told to ‘go back to India’
An Indian woman was verbally assaulted by a local woman on the streets of Ireland on October 7 and was told to “go back to India”.
The victim, Swati Verma, shared the incident on Instagram, saying, “I never thought I’d have to justify my existence on a street I walk every day.”
The incident occurred at around 9 pm after she left the gym, going back home using a route she uses every day.
Verma wrote in the post, “She started asking: ‘Why did you come to Ireland? What are you doing here? Why don’t you go back to India?’”
In the video, the woman can be heard saying, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? You’re coming to Ireland paying landlords’ f***ing money to live here.”
Verma responds by asking what she should be doing instead, “Just live on the road, in a tent?”
The woman continues, “No, no, you’re giving them power, but I am the power and I’m gonna f*** them over.”
She proceeds to question Verma’s immigration status, asking, “Do you have a work visa?” Verma confirms she is not here for free, stating, “I’m paying my taxes, I’m contributing to the economy here.”
Verma wrote in her post that the woman looked unwell.
She kept shouting, and Verma had to walk away from the situation to make sure she wasn’t followed by the woman.
“Before I walked away, she screamed more hateful things like “I’ll f*** you all, I’m the power, I’m the entity…” , things that made no sense, just aggression and hate.”
In recent times, Ireland has witnessed multiple racial harassment cases against Indians. In July, an Indian man in his 40s was hospitalized following what has been dubbed “mindless, racist violence” in a suburb of the Irish capital of Dublin, with the Indian Ambassador to Ireland calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Ireland President Michael D Higgins, in August, condemned the attacks occurring against the Indian community.
“Whether such provocation stems from ignorance or from malice, it is essential to acknowledge the harm that it is causing. Such acts diminish all of us and obscure the immeasurable benefits the people of India have brought to the life of this country,” his statement read.
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