Israeli man Tamir Ohayon was allegedly spat at and harassed by two Irish women while visiting Dublin on a business trip. The incident took place at Hardy’s Bar in Dún Laoghaire, with the women identified as Zeina Ismail and Lena Seale.
The incident reportedly began when Ismail and Seale confronted Ohayon about his alleged past service in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). During the exchange, Seale referred to the Israeli military as “Occupying Forces” and declared that “no Zionist is welcome in Ireland.”
In response, Ohayon recorded a video with the women, saying, “Zionists are not welcome in Ireland.” At one point, one of the women was seen spitting at him.
Taking to Instagram, Ohayon shared a video and wrote, “During my business trip to Dublin, me and my co-worker were assaulted by an organised group of girls for simply being Israelis. Previous to me filming the video, one of the girls approached me with camera to my face saying my name and basically all the intel she had about my stay in Dublin (the hotels I moved, the reason I came).”
Ohayon further alleged that no one intervened during the attack, stating, “It went on for several minutes, and no one stepped in. This was an act of pure terrorism, and everyone remained silent.”
He added that although he provided police with video evidence, officers only arrived two hours later and “didn’t seem to care” about the matter.
“My heart is truly broken. This is Ireland in 2025,” Ohayon concluded, revealing that he locked himself in his hotel room out of fear and could not sleep following the incident.
In response, Lena Seale told The Journal that she had confronted Ohayon for a “conversation” about his IDF service and an alleged Instagram post in which he tagged a West Bank city as part of Israel.
Despite being filmed spitting at Ohayon, Seale denied that the incident was violent, stating:
“No IOF soldier or agent of Zionism is welcome in Ireland and actionists have a duty to expose and confront them if an opportunity arises,” Seale said in a statement.
The incident has sparked condemnation from Irish officials, including Jim O’Leary, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, who posted on X.
“This is just pure wrong – and lets start calling it what it is – anti semitism. As Cathaoirleach of @dlrcc I condemn this hateful and juvenile behaviour. Where is Ireland of the Cead Mile Failte?.”
