A Jewish man was assaulted on a Dublin city bus over the weekend by a passenger shouting antisemitic slurs and accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, in an incident that has drawn renewed attention to rising anti-Jewish sentiment in Ireland.
The attack occurred late Saturday night, when the assailant confronted the man, saying, “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” and “Jews are killers,” according to video footage circulating on social media. The attacker slapped the man and attempted to snatch his mobile phone.
He also claimed he could identify Jews by their faces and criticized a fellow female passenger for intervening, saying she was “defending the Jew.” He then accused the Jewish passenger of being complicit in what he described as “the genocide of Palestinians.”
The bus driver called police, and the suspect was arrested at the scene, according to local authorities. No serious injuries were reported.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions over Irish legislation that would criminalize the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The bill, formally known as the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025, is backed by several members of Parliament and has drawn criticism from Israel and Jewish leaders worldwide.
Ireland has long been among the most vocal European Union members in its criticism of Israeli policy. Last week, efforts by Ireland and Spain to promote EU-wide action against Israel over its military operations in Gaza failed to gain enough support.
Ireland’s Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder sharply criticized the proposed legislation, calling it one-sided. “Like almost everything else that has come out of Parliament in response to the war in Gaza, this bill is focused solely on Israel,” Wieder said in a statement. “It does not address Hamas or Iran for crimes they have committed. Instead of only focusing on Israel, why doesn’t Ireland take equal steps to pressure Hamas to disarm and condemn its commitment to the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews?”
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Jewish organizations have expressed growing concern over a series of antisemitic incidents across Ireland in recent months, including attacks on Jewish students and vandalism targeting synagogues and community centers.
The Gardaí (Irish police) have not released the name of the suspect in Saturday’s attack. The investigation is ongoing.