Gardaí have opened an investigation after a man was violently assaulted and partially stripped by a group of attackers in Tallaght, Dublin, on Saturday.
The man, who is in his 40s and originally from India, was set upon by a group of young men and severely beaten before passersby came to his aid.
Saturday’s incident occurred at about 6pm and left the man bleeding from multiple wounds. The attackers had removed his trousers.
The assault is being investigated as a possible hate crime, sources said.
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It is understood the group had falsely accused the man of acting inappropriately around children. These claims were later spread online, including by prominent far-right and anti-immigrant accounts.
Garda sources said there is no truth to accusations the man was acting inappropriately.
“Gardaí in Tallaght were alerted to an incident at Parkhill Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, on the evening of Saturday 19th, July, 2025, at approximately 6pm,” a Garda spokesman said. “Gardaí attended the scene and a male, aged in his 40s was taken to Tallaght University Hospital with injuries.”
The man was released from hospital early on Sunday morning.
Investigators believe some of the attackers have carried out other unprovoked attacks on foreign nationals in the Tallaght area recently.
Paul Murphy, a People Before Profit TD for the area, condemned the assault.
“It’s horrifying to see a vicious attack like this happen in our neighbourhood.
“Responsibility lies not just with those who perpetrated the violence but also with those who have been spreading racist lies. The community is really shocked and outraged and will stand together against violence, hate and division.”
There have been a number of incidents of foreign nationals being attacked in recent months after being falsely accused of inappropriate behaviour.
Earlier this month, an asylum seeker in Limerick was assaulted after he was falsely accused by a far-right group of inappropriate approaches to young children.
Videos were shared on social media, and gardaí believe the man was singled out for attack the next day by someone in Limerick who recognised him from the footage.
The victim was an international protection applicant in his 40s from Afghanistan. Gardaí described as “misinformation and disinformation” the videos of the man recorded in the city’s People’s Park as people surrounded him and accused him of inappropriate approaches to young children.
Earlier this week, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he was aware of instances of foreign nationals being falsely accused of crimes.
“Increasingly, you hear of people blaming immigrants for crimes. All I can say to you is: I have asked for the statistics and when you look at the prison population of people convicted of offences, the percentage of immigrants in prison is lower than the percentage of immigrants in society,” he said.
“So there’s no substance to the suggestion that immigrants are more likely to commit a criminal offence.”
