Two foreigners were the heroes of the attack that later sparked anti-immigrant riots in Dublin

a A Brazilian delivery man and a French hospitality student They became heroes in Ireland, playing a crucial role when the person who attacked five people with a knife, seriously wounding a five-year-old girl, was arrested in Dublin on Thursday.

In an interview on Friday in the newspaper Irish Daily MirrorBrazilian Deliveroo delivery driver, Caio Benicio43 years old, described how Use his helmet to stop the attacker.

A father of two children and a resident of Rio de Janeiro, he explained to the newspaper that he was passing through Parnell Square when he saw what looked like a fight. “They were fighting over a girl, and they were dragging a girl,” the former restaurant owner said.

“I just stopped my motorcycle and saw him stab her several times in the chest,” she said, adding that she took off her helmet and started punching the attacker. “I hit him on the head and he fell to the ground. Then I hit him several times, and then people came and started kicking him,” he explained.

The Brazilian explained that the first thing he did after that was pay attention to the girl and He found her very pale and bleeding. The delivery man said he had not heard much news about the little girl’s condition, but he was praying for her.

“When you see a little five-year-old with a man with a knife, you just react,” he declared.

The girl finds herself “In a very dangerous situation”The teacher sustained “serious” injuries, according to police.

The assailant was subdued at the scene of the attack, thanks to the intervention of Caio Benicio and the help of other bystanders who joined him, such as the French teenager who disarmed the assailant.

the guy, nowis a hospitality student who has been doing an internship in a Dublin restaurant since last month.

french president, Emmanuel MacronHe called him by phone “to congratulate him and thank him for this courageous act that saved lives and which makes us all proud of him,” according to the Elysee.

The restaurant where he works also praised him on Instagram. He added: “He was one of the brave heroes who managed to disarm the school attacker yesterday in Dublin while he was on his way to work.” Books with a photo of Alan.

The organization explained: “He realized that something was happening (…) so he pounced on the attacker to stop him and was able to snatch the knife from him.”

Alan suffered injuries to his hand and face. “If it weren’t for this brave act, who knows what could have happened?” the restaurant asks, adding with a touch of humor: “Not all superheroes wear capes.”

After the attack, Rumors spread that the attacker was a foreigner About 500 rioters took part in violent clashes in Dublin on Thursday evening.

The Prime Minister said on Friday that the altercations had “embarrassed Ireland”. Leo VaradkarCondemning the events that the government attributed to the extreme right.

In recent years, anti-immigration rhetoric by some far-right figures has increased in Ireland, due to the country’s property crisis.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Martin responded against these positions in a press conference and highlighted Caio Benicio’s intervention.

“I think it is important to know all the facts. In the first place, the person who intervened was a Brazilian worker.”

He added: “Attacks like yesterday’s attack are not directly related to the issue of immigration itself. Crime does not belong to any race or color“he added.

Benicio, who moved to Ireland to support his family after his restaurant fire, said the riots that broke out after the attack were “senseless.”

“They are protesting for immigrants. “I am an immigrant myself.” He said.

“I think it was just an excuse. “I think they were a small group of people and they had an excuse for doing what they did.”

(Information from Agence France-Presse)