A GOFUNDME campaign to “buy a pint” for a Brazilian Deliveroo cyclist who rushed to the aid of a child amid the Dublin riots has passed €300 000.
Five people were injured in Parnell Street in Dublin following an attack outside a school on Thursday in the north inner city centre.
A girl, five, and a teacher remain in critical condition in hospital after they were stabbed during the incident.
Caio Benicio, a delivery cyclist, was working in the city when he saw the incident unfolding and intervened to restrain the attacker before getting him to drop the knife.
A fundraiser was then started to “buy Caio Benicio a pint” with an initial target of €200 000 although the total donated currently sits at more than €300 000.
Writing on Twitter, one user said it was enough for "53k pints of Guinness".
According to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for GoFundMe has confirmed a trust and safety team is monitoring the pages so that donors “can give with total confidence”.
A statement said: “In Caio’s case, that means funds are on hold until they can get to the right person and Caio or a member of his immediate family withdraws the funds.”
Speaking to the newspaper, Benicio said: “I am no hero, I am grateful for the support, but I was only there in the right time and the right place.
“I acted on instinct. But now, after some rest, I can’t get the little girl out of my head. It is in my thoughts. I hope she will be ok, otherwise I will feel more guilty, guilty for maybe not acting sooner, not being there quicker, I don’t know, just some thoughts in my head.
“I saw everything, I just acted on instinct. I didn’t even think about what I (was) going to do.
“I feel a little bit better now. It’s to pray for the girl and wait for the news is all I can do.”
The fundraising page can be found HERE.
