Over €4,000 raised to help refugee assaulted in Athlone
A fundraising initiative set up in the wake of an alleged unprovoked attack on a Palestinian refugee in Athlone before Christmas has raised over €4,000.
A statement issued by An Garda Siochana confirmed an alleged assault occurred in Athlone shortly before 7pm on Sunday, December 15, during which a male, aged in his 20s, received non life-threatening injuries and had to be conveyed to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe for treatment.
It is believed the young man was a Palestinian refugee who had travelled to Ireland to escape the bombing in Gaza and had sought refuge at the Athlone refugee accommodation centre in Lissywollen.
It is thought that the young man was set upon and attacked by a group of men as he was making his way back to his tented accommodation in Lissywollen on foot, having exited a bus from Athlone town at the wrong stop.
The incident prompted a local man, Ruairi O'Leochain, to set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the Palestinian refugee and his family.
At the time of writing the fundraising page, entitled 'A refugee from Palestine, beaten in Athlone town' has raised just over €4,000 of its initial fundraising target of €5,000, with many contributors leaving personal messages of support for the young refugee and his family.
“Coming from the rubble of Gaza, tented accommodation in a safe town was a dream come true. Over 2000 years ago, a man called Joseph had shown similar gratitude, brought to a stable, when there was 'no room at the Inn’," the fundraiser states.
The GoFundMe appeal also says the Palestinian refugee was left “dazed and couldn't talk” after the alleged assault, saying he had been “beaten and punched about the head, neck and chest.”
In an impassioned appeal for financial support for the young refugee, the fundraiser asked donors to “help us restore our faith in humanity” over the Christmas period by making a donation.
“Any donation, no matter how small, will be given directly to help this refugee and his family.”
The alleged assault occurred against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Athlone since October when a plan was unveiled by the Department of Integration to house up to 1,000 single male asylum seekers at the refugee accommodation centre in Lissywollen.
No arrests have been made by Gardai in relation to the alleged attack on the Palestinian refugee in Athlone on December 15, and investigations into the incident are continuing.