Ppressue is mounting on the Government to introduce hate crime legislation following a horrific attack on a Muslim girl.
Gardai have appealed for witnesses after the 14-year-old had her hijab ripped from her head by a gang who also beat and threw eggs on her in Dublin.
Officers do not believe the attack was racially motivated however, a shop worker in the area did suffer racist abuse by a gang who also stole from the newsagents.
A video of the incident has been shared widely online triggering calls for more laws.
It’s understood gardai have identified the individuals involved in last Sunday’s attack and are set to interview them with their parents present.
Dr Ali Selim, of the Islamic Cultural Centre Of Ireland, told the Irish Mirror the country has yet to catch up with the rest of Europe.
Although a European report published last December said we have a “good system for registering racist criminal offences”, it also found judges weren’t consistently using their right to give harsher sentences for crimes targeting minorities.
Dr Selim said: “To meet the standard we need to have legislation. When we say that we do not mean singling out a community – we’re talking about a legal protection for
all minorities residing in Ireland.
“It’s to prevent bias-motivated violence belonging to a different race, or having a certain colour, or being of a certain religion or sexuality.
“Society is now made of a range of diversity of race and colour who have chosen to make Ireland home. Our society is a diverse society now and hence there’s a need to update legislation.
“What happened in Dundrum is classified as an assault, a minor assault but if we had the legislation it would have been seen a different way if we could prove the motive.”
A Department of Justice spokesman said: “The provisions of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 is under review within the department.”
