Crowd collects 40,000 beers for Brazilian hero in Ireland – 11/24/2023 – Cozinha Bruta

“Buy Caio Benício a beer” is, as I write these lines, the campaign that raises the most money in the virtual Gofundme crowdfunding (something like “come and support me”) in Ireland.

Caio, 43, from Rio, works as a food delivery man in Dublin. On Thursday (23), using his helmet, he knocked out a man who stabbed three children and two adults outside a daycare center.

The Brazilian’s bravery elevated him to the status of Ireland’s national hero.

They soon created the crowdfunding as a prize, gratitude or apology – after the attack, far-right groups unleashed terror on the city, breaking everything and shouting for the expulsion of the immigrant populations.

The objective of the crowdfunding was not a house for Caio, much less a new motorcycle. It was beer. Better: money for him to spend on beer and, if he has any left over, on less essential things.

Beer, in Ireland, is the center of social life. The atmosphere tends to be very lively, so almost everything happens inside the pubs. Buying someone a pint of Guinness – a glass with more than half a liter of the country’s symbolic beer – is a show of affection and appreciation.

The average price of Guinness in Dublin is €6.40, according to a survey carried out in March by the Irish Independent newspaper.

By sending this text, Caio’s crowdfunding had already raised €253,265 (more than R$1.355 million), with several thousand euros more with each update of the website. Enough to buy almost 40 thousand glasses of beer. Maybe on to something more.

Despite the moving tribute to the biker hero, the hostility of the Irish towards immigrant populations is worrying. Just like Ireland, which has exported between 9 and 10 million people to other countries since the 18th century.

The police did not disclose the nationality of the attacker, which does not stop the fury on social media against specific groups. It is speculated that he is Algerian, Moroccan or Romanian.

“Muslim jihadists stabbed children in Dublin”, says a verified profile with almost 500 thousand followers on X (formerly Twitter). Comments follow with attacks on Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Indian descent, who called the uprising of xenophobes a “disgrace.”

The feeling is similar across the rest of Europe.

In Paris, hostility towards Arabs and Africans is open. London hides it better, but immigration at Heathrow terminal 4 – free passage for passports from rich countries, three hours of queue for the rest – gives away the real deal.

In these places, it is rare to find a native working in a restaurant kitchen. In London and Dublin, food deliveries are mainly made by Brazilians.

Europeans don’t want these hard, low-paying jobs. Still, they believe they are invaded in their territory and culture.

In the first seven months of this year, there were 2,353 assaults on delivery drivers in Dublin. These are attacks of gratuitous violence, perpetrated by Irish gangs. In 2021, Brazilian Thiago Cortes was murdered in one of them.

Europe wants to eat, but it wants to send away those who feed them. It won’t work, it never has. The beers for Caio, however, indicate that not all is lost.

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