Lies spread on social media led to physical attack on Afghan man in Limerick

'He was treated with suspicion, fear, and hostility simply because of how he looked,' said migrant support group, Doras

After the original post was circulated, a group confronted the Afghan man and called the Gardaí while filming, but the man walked to the station himself for his own safety. File picture

An Afghan man was assaulted in Limerick after baseless claims were spread about him on social media.

The 64-year-old man received injuries, including a broken nose, in the attack in early July, following claims online that he had been behaving inappropriately towards children, a claim which was later debunked by gardaí.