Irish Council for International Students condemns violence against Deliveroo Drivers

Irish Council for International Students Condemns Violence Against Deliveroo Drivers

The Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) condemns the attacks, intimidation, and abuse of Deliveroo drivers, many of whom are international students who come to Ireland to study.

ICOS calls on the Government to implement a targeted approach to the alarming incidences of violence in Dublin city centre, particularly knife crime and the attacks on Deliveroo drivers.

Laura Harmon, Executive Director of ICOS said: ‘The attacks on Deliveroo drivers in Dublin city centre over the last number of weeks must be tackled. There is no justification for the assaults, robberies, and intimidation directed towards Deliveroo drivers. Many of these workers are international students who have come to Ireland to study. ICOS welcomes the recent commitments from the Gardaí to tackle this issue, but we need a long term plan to combat these attacks.’

Speaking about the recent reports of a number of racially motivated attacks on Deliveroo drivers, Laura Harmon added: ‘these are frontline workers who have provided a vital service to people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, it is completely unacceptable that anyone should be subject to racial abuse and violence.  I urge any international student who has been a victim of a racially motivated attack to contact the Gardai and also report the incident to ICOS.’

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Further information:

Brian Hearne, Communications Officer, Email: bhearne@icosirl.ie

For comment:

Laura Harmon, Executive Director, Ph: 086173855 Email: lharmon@icosirl.ie