A Dublin city centre language school has issued a warning to its overseas students not to travel into the city at night following a number of unprovoked attacks on non-nationals.
Concern about violent assaults on visiting students was heightened yesterday following reports of an attack on a 17-year-old Spanish student in Dublin's O'Connell Street and the vicious beating of a Swedish man in New Ross, Co Wexford, on Sunday.
Mr Michael Fitzgerald, director of the International Study Centre, Harcourt Street, Dublin, said a number of his students have already been "confronted" by gangs of Irish teenagers this summer.
"Just recently one of our Spanish girls was approached and had money taken from her. Worse has happened and it's something that seems to have grown over the last five years. Students just can't go into the city centre in the evening."
Swedish street trader Mr Eric Magnus Forsmark remains on life-support at Wexford General Hospital after being assaulted early on Sunday morning during a festival in New Ross. Relatives of Mr Forsmark are to travel to Ireland amid fears that the 31-year-old may not recover.
The man, who lived in Sligo for the last two years, was involved in a dispute at Wickham's, a pub on Mary Street in New Ross, at 1 a.m. on Sunday. Gardaí were called and Mr Forsmark was brought to hospital by ambulance having been found with serious head injuries on the street close to the licensed premises.
He is in the intensive care unit and his condition remains "critical" with hospital sources suggesting he will be fortunate to survive his injuries.
Gardaí have been in contact with his family in Sweden and arrangements are in place for at least one close relative to travel to Ireland to deal with issues over the future care and treatment to be received by Mr Forsmark.
The Garda investigation is in its early stages with those who were drinking with him continuing to be interviewed along with the large crowd who would have witnessed the violent incident.Supt Tom Saunderson, New Ross, yesterday issued a fresh appeal for any witnesses not yet interviewed to come forward.
In Dublin, gardaí said they were not alerted to the assault of a Spanish girl outside a fast-food restaurant in O'Connell Street on Sunday night. The girl is understood to have been knocked to the ground and kicked in the head by two girls who approached her for cigarettes.