Gardaí ‘stood by’ as student was attacked
But what I witnessed in the early hours of Thursday, January 27, in Cork city centre, was a disgraceful example of inaction on their part.
Like most UCC students, I was out for the night enjoying rag week. When the clubs closed a large crowd assembled outside a fast food restaurant.
As the crowd gradually filtered homeward I noticed, as did everyone else, a few 'scumbags' moving about looking for trouble. It is at this stage that one expects garda intervention to maintain public order.
But no, they stood by. Eventually an innocent French student was felled by a sickening blow (which broke his cheekbone) and the cowardly culprits ran off followed by two gardaí walking. It was left to my friends and I to lift the concussed victim onto a bench and try to bring him around.
The remaining garda casually enquired whether the victim wanted to go to hospital. With great effort I refrained from speaking my mind.
The following night I witnessed two young lads having their names taken for urinating in public. Now I do not condone such behaviour, but which is the greater threat to public order students urinating in public or innocent students having their cheekbones smashed?
This is not an attack on the gardaí... I'm just very annoyed at the nonchalant approach of the few in the vicinity of the incident on that Thursday morning.
Paul Kearney
12 Kilcrea Park
Magazine Road
Cork
