Community rallies behind victims of Rathfarnham racist assault

200 people took part in a protest on Nutgrove Avenue in Rathfarnham on Tuesday evening to condemn the recent racist attack which left three young Afghan men in hospital.

In the pouring rain, local residents came out on the street to show their support for brothers Fazalrahman (20) and Naqeeb Ahmadzai (18) along with their nephew Abdul (13) who were attacked by a gang of four men and beaten unconscious while cycling home from Marlay Park on Thursday. 

The gang used racist language and threatened to kill the boys the next time they saw them.

Speaking at the protest, Dundrum Sinn Féin Councillor Sorcha Nic Cormaic said:

“The people who carried this vicious attack are racist scumbags. They are not wanted in our community. Racism needs to be confronted in all its forms.”

Sorcha described the Ahmadzi boys as the type of young people any community would be proud of. 

She said Abdul, who is a keen cricketer and plays with a local club, has ambitions to represent Ireland but now fears his family may have to leave the country for their own safety.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barret said he hoped An Garda Síochána would treat this incident very seriously. 

He said the problem of racism is a growing one in Irish society, referencing a recent attempt by anti-immigrant group Pegida to organise in Ireland, and that such vile organisations need to be challenged as soon as they appear.

Also speaking at the event, Sinn Féin Mayor of South Dublin and Rathfarnham Councillor Sarah Holland said she was utterly disgusted by the incident:

“Racism is a product of ignorance. The people behind this are mindless thugs and representative of nobody,” she said.

The Ahmadzai family thanked those who had turned out for their support and solidarity.

“I love Ireland and I love the Irish people. I can't believe there are so many people here,” Abdul told the demonstrators.

Organisations represented at the protest included the Irish Traveller Movement, Afri, Unite Against Racism, the Islamic Cultural Centre, the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, Anti-Austerity Alliance, Éirigí, Fianna Fáil, Workers' Solidarity Movement, AFA Ireland and others.

• Sinn Féin activists including Mayor Sarah Holland, Councillor Sorcha Nic Cormaic, Louise O'Reilly TD, Councillor Chris Curran and Seán Crowe TD on the protest in Rathfarnham