‘Kids asked me to promise I‘ll never taxi again' – Indian man attacked in Dublin
Lakhvir Singh (46) is recovering from the injuries he suffered in the attack, but he has been left too scared to even think about his livelihood and future.
The father of two was dropping off two young men at Poppintree Community Sports Centre when they turned on him and struck him twice across his forehead with a bottle, shouting 'go back to your country'.
The men ordered the taxi on an app at about 11.10pm and one of the two willingly paid the €50 fare upfront.
The other man, however, initially refused to get into the taxi with a 'black' driver but he was persuaded to take the lift, according to Mr Singh.
After a stop off at a garage in Ballymun, Mr Singh dropped the two men at Poppintree, where they suddenly turned on him.
'The customer sitting in the front ran out and around to my door,' he said.
'He tried opening it but I held it firmly shut and the second man ran around to help his friend open the door.
They ran off when they saw the blood
'When they couldn't get it open, one of the men ran back around to the passenger side, picked up a broken bottle from the ground and struck me twice across the forehead. He was shouting 'go back to your country' at me.
'They ran off when they saw the blood. I couldn't find my phone so I knocked on doors of nearby houses but nobody answered. I went back to my car and found my phone and called the emergency services.'
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh, who was assaulted in Ballymun over the weekend. Photo: Mark Condren
Mr Singh, who has been living in Ireland for 23 years, was taken to hospital, where he needed 12 stitches to the wound on his forehead.
He has been driving a taxi for over 10 years in Dublin but is now contemplating changing his job.
His taxi is still being forensically examined by gardaí.
'My two teenage children are very scared for me and have made me promise that I'll never drive a taxi again,' he said.
"I'll certainly never drive at night, but I may have to find another job altogether.
I'm scared and I'm scared now for my children
'Apart from the black comment, any time the men spoke to me, they spoke nicely. This came out of the blue.
'I'm scared and I'm scared now for my children who will be using public transport when they go to college.
'Every day there seems to be another story of racist attacks and it seems to be getting worse in recent months.'
The assault took place at about 11.45pm on Friday in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11.
A garda spokesperson said they are currently investigating the incident.
'A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury,' they said in a statement. 'Investigations are ongoing.'
In the wake of recent attacks on Indian citizens, the Indian embassy issued a statement on its website, advising Indian nationals to 'take reasonable precautions'.
'There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,' it said in a statement.
All Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions
'The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned of Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours.'
On July 19, an Indian man was attacked by a group of teenagers around 6pm at Parkhill Lawns in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght.
The assault sparked the anti-racism protests on July 26, organised by members of Ireland's migrant community, where hundreds of people gathered outside the Dáil in solidarity against the racist attacks.
On July 27, an Indian data scientist, Dr Santosh Yadav, was beaten by teenagers near Clondalkin in Dublin.
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