Photographer assaulted in Dublin by Schalke fans felt 'terrified'

A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO was allegedly assaulted in Dublin on Saturday by supporters of German football club Schalke said she has been “overwhelmed with support” since sharing the incident.

Carly Clarke was on Abbey Street on Saturday afternoon with her friend Steve when they saw what appeared to be a parade marching down the street on the Luas tracks. She began taking pictures of the crowd.

When the group neared her, one man reached out to grab her camera. Steve intervened, and he was pushed to the ground and allegedly kicked to the head.

Speaking this morning on RTÉ Radio, Clarke said the incident was incredibly shocking.

“What was just so shocking to me was that once he was on the ground, almost everybody that went past him was kicking him. Nobody would let him get up. I kept trying to pull him off the ground.

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“And I was just so shocked by it. I was so terrified, because I just thought, how can you how can you do this to an older man?” she said.

Once the crowd had moved on, several older women came over the help.

“They were all really upset,” Clarke said. “They said, this is unusual for Ireland, this is so strange, we don’t know what’s going on. I just thought, you know, there’s no point in chasing after these people, because it’s obviously not a very good idea.”

It was only later on that they discovered the men were Schalke fans. The team and supporters were in Dublin for a friendly game against Bohemians on Saturday, with the club saying some 2,000 supporters had travelled to the capital city for the match.

Clarke said Steve is alright and they decided not to take it any further, although they are now talking to gardaí.

The club issued an apology yesterday and said it would be investigating the incident and taking appropriate action.

Clarke added that she has been overwhelmed with messages from Schalke supporters and others wishing her well and apologising for the attack.

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