First published – 10:58 am

THERE HAS BEEN widespread condemnation of racist graffiti sprayed on the front of a family home in Dublin.

The family – a mother and two children – have moved out of the house on Lealand Avenue in Clondalkin after two men painted the words ‘blacks out’ across their front window last Tuesday night.

The woman’s car tyres had been slashed on two separate occasions in the week leading up to the incident.

Local residents yesterday painted over the graffiti in a show of support for the family.

Community members also expressed solidarity with their neighbours in a meeting held over the weekend.

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‘Sickened’

Local People Before Profit councillor Gino Kenny, who helped to organise the meeting and clean-up, told TheJournal.ie the family had been living in the area for six years.

It’s repulsive. People here are sickened. There’s been a big response from neighbours saying this won’t be tolerated – a family won’t be put out of this community because of the colour of their skin.

He said that the children’s mother is a popular lady who has been left traumatised by the attack.

“I’m not sure if she’s ever going to come back,” Kenny said.

Speaking this morning on Newstalk’s The Pat Kenny Show, the woman said she was at a loss to explain why her home was targeted.

Everybody is trying to not let me go, but I have to go because of my children. I don’t know who is doing this.

TD Robert Dowds said he was disgusted at a hate crime like this being inflicted on an innocent woman and her children, describing the people responsible as “thugs”.

“I attended a street meeting and was incredibly impressed with the community’s solidarity with the victim. The residents who came out to show their support for the victim are the decent, compassionate, and genuine face of our community,” he said in a statement.

Gardaí at Clondalkin are investigating the incident and have appealed for information.

Read: ‘They put me down on the ground because I was with a group of black people’ >

Read: Local families locked out of community garden by parish >