A fundraiser for a hero Deliveroo driver who stopped a knife attack in Dublin has reached nearly £300,000 as it encouraged supporters to buy the brave Brazillian a pint.
Caio Benicio, 43, was hailed as a hero for ending an assault on three children in Dublin after he jumped off his bike to hit the attacker over the head with his helmet.
The father-of-two told the Daily Mail that he “acted by instinct” after he drove past Parnell Square and saw what he thought was a “normal fight”.
Mr Benicio said the man fell to the ground and others came over to help keep him there.
The hero driver who moved to Ireland from Rio de Janeiro a year ago said: “I didn’t have time to be afraid. I have two kids myself and I didn’t have time to be afraid, I just acted.”
A bus on fire on O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre after violent scenes unfolded following a knife attack on Parnell Square East on Thursday— (PA)
Organiser Paul Darcy set up the GoFundMe page saying: “The man’s a hero and the least we can do is buy him a pint, so I’m asking you to donate the price of a pint of Guinness in your local so that he knows the people of Dublin appreciate him.”
Comments by donors said: “The world needs more people like you that naturally do the right thing.”
Another added: “Your bravery stopped a terrible attack on innocent lives. The people of Dublin and Ireland can’t thank you enough for intervening. Wishing you and your family a happy life and all the very best for the future.”
At the time of writing, the fund has raised enough to buy Mr Benicio over 50,000 pints at an average of €6.40 a pint.
He told RTE’s Liveline that the Brazilian embassy had been in touch to award him a medal for his bravery.
Ireland’s prime minister condemned anti-immigrant protestors who stormed central Dublin on Friday when three young children were stabbed by who some reports say was a foreign national.
Many were arrested after riots broke out on Friday— (Getty)
He said they had simply wanted to cause chaos and denied that their actions helped to protect the country’s way of life.
Police arrested 34 people overnight after up to 500 people looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw rocks at crowd control officers equipped with helmets and shields, according to the Daily Mail.
One five-year-old girl remains in a critical condition, while two other children aged six and five suffered less serious injuries. A care assistant who placed herself between the knifemen and the children was also in a serious condition.
