The usually-friendly special relationship between the USA and the Republic of Ireland has soured somewhat in recent days due to a series of attacks on American tourists in the Irish capital.
Following a number of assaults on US tourists in Ireland, the US Embassy in Dublin published a safety warning to its citizens urging vigilance and “good security practices while traveling” [sic].
The alert issued by the US Embassy said: “With a number of recent incidents reported in Irish media, the US Embassy in Dublin reminds US citizens to exercise good personal security practices while traveling.” It adds, “The US Embassy Dublin encourages all citizens to be aware of their surroundings, especially when travelling in unfamiliar places, crowded locations, empty streets, or at night.” This heightened vigilance could involve better preparing one’s trip by looking up locations in advance.
The briefing also pointed out the need to “avoid walking alone, if possible, especially during hours of darkness”. Pickpocketing and muggings were named as problems.
1. The attacks
After an assault in Dublin last week, Stephen Termini , 57-year-old New Yorker who had always dreamed of travelling to Ireland according to his father, is in intensive care. He was kicked and beaten by a group of youths on Dublin’s Store Street.
Further hospitalisations followed a Temple Bar area attack on a woman, and a man being seriously injured in a Jervis Street robbery on consecutive days in late July 2023.
2. Response
The US reaction has prompted the Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to reassure people that Ireland is “a safe place”. She highlighted that Ireland is still classed at Level 1 in terms of US safety notifications, the same as other European Union member states.
Pushing back at the US Embassy release, McEntee pointed out that she regularly goes out socialising in Dublin with friends, though she was at pains not to be seen to be ‘dismissing’ victims. She also visited Termini in hospital.
McEntee said there were “very clear issues that we need to deal with and one of the best ways to respond is to have more gardaí on the beat, on the ground.”
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar agreed, announcing at a press conference that he would meet Garda (Irish police) Commissioner Drew Harris next week to discuss measures to tackle street crime.
Remarking on a perception that there had been a breakdown in law and order during the response to Covid-19 and lockdowns, he said people should be able to go out without fear “that they’re going to be subjected to a serious assault or perhaps even worse.”
Varadkar said options on the table include better use of CCTV, increased gardai visibility, tougher sentencing and better resourcing for the justice system.
