An Irish-born doctor says he was shocked when a group of children shouted racist slurs at him outside a shopping center in Navan last week.
Dr Taimoor Salman was leaving Blackcastle Shopping Centre on Thursday evening when children as young as 10 called him “Mr Curry Man” in a fake Indian accent.
The medical registrar works at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. He had stopped to buy groceries after work when the incident happened around 9pm.
A young boy on a bike cycled in front of his car and repeatedly shouted the racist name. When Dr Salman said this was rude, an older teenager told him to “shut up” and started copying Apu, the Indian character from The Simpsons TV show.
“I was stunned and upset,” Dr Salman said. “I have seen racism at the hospital, but I never expected this from children.”
Dr Salman was born in Ireland where his father worked as a surgeon. His parents are from Pakistan. The family moved abroad when he was young but he returned to live in Navan with his wife and daughter in 2017.
“I went to primary school in Navan and have good memories. I never faced racism here as a child,” he said.
But Dr Salman believes the town has become less safe for people of color in recent years. He says he now only goes to crowded places at night and worries about walking alone.
“This wave of hatred is quite recent and more open,” he explained. “In 2017, it was peaceful and safe. Now it feels too dangerous.”
The doctor says racism has no place in Ireland. “This is everyone’s home. We all have to respect each other,” he said.
