Images of a violent attack of an Irish male teenager by a gang of school children is nothing short of horrifying, a Senator has said.
Senator Mary Seery-Kearney, Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Children, said social media images circulating of the teen being attacked by schoolmates as he tried to make his way across a green are appalling to view.
“This child, and I assume he is a child, is being filmed as a group of pupils from a school pile on him, kicking him, punching him, pulling his hair and taunting him.
“It is a sickening display of violence and humiliation and I can’t remember the last time I have seen anything so distressing,” Senator Seery-Kearney said.
“That this attack was filmed and posted on social media channels adds to the suffering of this child. The perpetrators of these criminal acts, and that is what they are, must be dealt with and a clear message needs to be sent from the Board of Management at the school, the Gardaí and parents, that these shameful, cowardly and utterly disgusting acts will not be tolerated and will be punished.
“As legislators, the onus is also on us to ensure that our children are protected from all types of abuse, and we have seen the ugly side of social media with this – this needs to be stamped out urgently or our society will be in freefall for future generations,” Senator Mary Seery Kearney said.
