In a disturbing turn of events, Green Party’s Indian-origin candidate from Lucan, Jithin Ram, faced racial harassment and assault on Sunday evening while campaigning for the upcoming local election in Dublin’s Shackleton area.
Ram and his team were subjected to racial slurs and verbal abuse. The incident escalated when a man wielding a hockey stick assaulted a team member who was filming the incident.
In the video, the man can be seen charging towards them before hitting Ram’s team member with the hockey stick. The man wearing a blue jacket can also be seen shoving Ram after launching a foul-mouthed tirade.
Commenting on the incident, Ram said: “When I went to campaign in Shackleton, I approached the gentleman to ask for his vote. He started abusing me, repeatedly saying “f Indian” and questioning why only people of Indian descent use Airlie Park. I explained that the park is for everyone, but he continued to use offensive language and tried to attack us.”
“We began filming the incident, and he walked away but later returned and assaulted my team. After my team was attacked, I asked him why he had touched us. He then came back, assaulted us again, and subjected us to racial abuse,” Ram added.
Ram’s team has reported the incident to Gardai and expects a swift investigation.
Ireland will head to local council election on June 7 to elect 941 councilors across 31 local authorities. The results will also act as an indicator of public opinion across the country ahead of a general election within the next 10 months.