A tourist was "punched in the face and kicked in the legs" during an attack on board a Dublin Bus last week.
Switzerland native Roland, aged 65, was in Dublin visiting his daughter Camille with his wife over the Christmas period. On January 4 at around 6:30pm, Roland was on board the route 14 Dublin Bus towards Dundrum with Camille and her partner.
Daughter Camille, who has lived in Ireland for the past seven years, told Dublin Live: "We were on our way back home on the 14 bus when this man came in with his wife and child in a stroller. My dad was standing where the foldable chair is as the bus was quite full, and the man firstly ran into his legs with the stroller.
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"Now, my dad doesn't speak any English, so he did say to him in French that he could ask politely and then he moved to the side to leave the man the space. Unfortunately my boyfriend and I were at the very back didn't see that the man kept talking to him badly all the way, saying that 'he's a foreigner and should stay in his country'."
Camille said that things then turned violent on the bus journey. "We realised what was happening when he assaulted my dad," she said.
"He had it all planned as when they got off the bus he let his wife and baby go first, pretended to leave to then ran back in and hit my elderly dad. He gave him three strong punches in the face and kicked him in the legs before we could intervene."
Camille said her dad spent eight hours at St Vincent's Hospital that night after suffering a sinus fracture, a tear under the eye and a black eye. He also has to undergo surgery this week due to the sinus fracture.
"This is not to mention the emotional damages it brought to my family," she said. "My parents were supposed to go back home early next week and they are now stuck in Ireland as he has to undergo surgery and recover from it before being able to fly.
"My dad has always loved Ireland so much, he's always been enthusiastic about this country and that night this country did him wrong. When you're 65-years-old visiting your daughter and simply taking a bus back home you don't imagine this will make you end up in the hospital."
Dublin Bus have told Camille via email that they are "so sorry to hear of this awful incident" and will "assist in any way they can". Camille has urged anyone who was on the bus in question and witnessed the incident to get in contact with Rathmines Garda Station.
Dublin Live has contacted An Garda Siochana and Dublin Bus for comment.
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