Government needs to take action on minorities being targeted online, O’Donoghue says

Labour’s Communications Spokesperson Rob O’Donoghue TD has today called for urgent Government action following a series of violent, racially motivated assaults against members of the Indian community in Dublin in recent weeks.

The Dublin Fingal West TD said “this week, I was contacted by a constituent originally from India who was brutally assaulted while working in Dublin City Centre. This individual was simply going about their day-to-day life—contributing to our society—when they were attacked in an appalling, targeted way.”

“From what I understand, this was a racially motivated assault. This is not an isolated incident, but part of a deeply troubling pattern that is growing in frequency and intensity.”

“Every new day seems to bring another report of an assault or attempted assault on someone because of the colour of their skin. Yesterday, we heard about a child being assaulted for that very reason. We cannot continue to look away,” O’Donoghue said.

“It is deeply shameful that the Indian Embassy has felt the need to issue a public warning advising Indian citizens and Irish-Indians in Ireland to take extra precautions. That such advice is even necessary in 2025 in a country that claims to welcome people with ‘Ceád Míle Fáilte’ should deeply unsettle us all.”

O’Donoghue says he has written to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, urging him to take immediate action to address this specific incident and to outline his wider plans to tackle the rise in hate crime.

“We need to see a commitment to stronger enforcement, better reporting structures, and an acknowledgement that hate crime in Ireland is getting worse, not better,” O’Donoghue said.

“I have also written to Minister Patrick O’Donovan, as Minister for Communications, to demand action in regulating social media and digital platforms, which are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for hate. Minority communities are being relentlessly targeted online, with almost no consequences for those responsible. The toxicity in these spaces is not only deeply harmful—it undermines the values of inclusion, equality and respect that Ireland should be upholding.”

“I have asked both Ministers to come forward with concrete proposals on how they intend to tackle the rise of hate in Ireland. We cannot allow these attacks to continue unchallenged. People deserve to feel safe on our streets, in our workplaces, in our schools. Government must act urgently and decisively.”