A Brazilian delivery driver who stopped a man attacking a group of children in Parnell Square East said he is praying for the survival of a five-year-old girl critically injured in the incident.
Caio Benicio was on his motorbike working in Dublin city centre on Thursday when he saw what he first thought was a fight.
“I slowed down my motorcycle to see what’s going on. I realised some man and woman and a little girl (were) involved,” he said.
“Later on I found out (the woman) was the teacher. She was very, very brave.”
Mr Benicio told the PA news agency he saw the man grab a girl, take out a knife and attack her.
“When I saw the knife, I stopped my bike and I just acted by instinct.”
He said he took his helmet off and hit the man in the head with it “with all of my power”.
“I didn’t even know there was more kids that were (hurt) at that time,” he said.
“I thought it was just one girl but afterwards I (found) out there are more people, more kids.”
Mr Benicio added: “I wish the family all the best. I pray for her to survive.
“I’m a parent myself, I have two kids and I know how hard it is.
“I saw (parents) come to the school, desperate to see how their kids are, something you can’t even imagine, the pain. I wish them all the strength possible to carry on.”
In response to the violent scenes in Dublin on Thursday evening, Mr Benicio said there seemed to be a “small group of people” who “wanted an excuse to do what they did”.
“I’m here for about 20 years now, I don’t know politics here deeply to have an opinion about it,” he said.
“What I can say is, I know the protest is against immigrants, and for me, it doesn’t make sense, because I’m an immigrant myself, and I was the one who helped out. For me, it doesn’t make sense.”
