A NIGERIAN man was subjected to a vicious verbal racial attack in a gruelling hour and a half long ordeal.

Yomi Ogunyemi was travelling from Kilkenny to Dublin when a man who appeared to be intoxicated boarded the bus and began the unprovoked attack.

Witnesses aboard the bus said the attacker repeatedly called Mr Ogunyemi ‘n*****' and told him to “f*** off back to where you came from”.

They also claimed the attacker kicked the victim in the hand and knocked his phone from his grasp during the bus journey.

ABUSE

Mr Ogunyemi told the Herald: “What happened was I was on my way back home, and this guy, obviously drunk just started throwing all kinds of abuse at me. It was horrible.”

Father-of-three Mr Ogunyemi has been living in Ireland since 2005 and had recently got a job in financial services in Kilkenny.

Expand Close Yomi Ogunyemi, who was racially abused on a bus to Dublin. Picture Dylan Vaughan. Dylan Vaughan / Facebook

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Whatsapp Yomi Ogunyemi, who was racially abused on a bus to Dublin. Picture Dylan Vaughan.



Yomi Ogunyemi, a father of three living in Ireland since 2005 and who works in financial services

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening on a bus travelling from Clonmel, Co Tipperary to Dublin. It's believed the attacker boarded the bus at approximately 6.30pm when it stopped in Athy, Co Kildare.

Mr Ogunyemi said: “I recorded some of the attack on my phone, but because my children use my phone a lot I deleted it.”

He said that this was the first time he had ever been subjected to this level of abuse, and that he hoped he would not have to endure it again.

Dublin City University (DCU) student Jack Reardon (18) was on board the bus and captured his own video of the shocking incident.

Expand Close 17 Apr 2014; Jack Reardon, from Clonmel, Tipperary. DCU, Glasnevin, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn Caroline Quinn / Facebook

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Whatsapp 17 Apr 2014; Jack Reardon, from Clonmel, Tipperary. DCU, Glasnevin, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn



Student Jack Reardon who intervened and asked the man to stop racially abusing Mr Ogunyemi. The DCU student was then the subject of verbal abuse by the same man

The video shows the elderly man wearing a black baseball cap and navy sweater as he calls out a series of racial slurs to the victim who is believed to be sitting nearby.

During the video, the racist attacker jokes that his name is John Fontane, referring to a character in the gangster film series The Godfather.

Mr Reardon said his video “does not do justice” to what happened.

DISGUSTING

“He started using the ‘n' word, and after 20 minutes I got sick of it. I went up myself to the man and said what he was doing was disgusting, and to leave the gentleman alone. But that didn't stop him,” he said.

Mr Reardon was then also subjected to racial abuse.

Expand Close The man who allegedly racially abused a passenger on the bus. This man cannot be identified for legal reasons / Facebook

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Whatsapp The man who allegedly racially abused a passenger on the bus. This man cannot be identified for legal reasons



The passenger who allegedly racially abused Yomi - we cannot show his face for legal reasons

“He said things like, ‘how would your parents feel if you brought home a little black b****?'.”

While the video shows just a few minutes of the attack, it is believed the abuse carried on for the duration of the journey.

hnews@herald.ie

Irish Independent