“Ireland is better than this”; City reckons with attacks on immigrants

Local politicians have criticised attacks on the Indian community in Ireland.

A wave of high-profile attacks on Indian immigrants has dominated headlines in recent weeks, notably the assault of an immigrant in Tallaght in July, along with the assault of a six-year-old girl in Waterford.

On Sunday, August 10, an Indian man was assaulted in Fairview Park, with the man telling The Journal he plans to leave Ireland as a result of the attack.

The man told The Journal that as he was walking through Fairview Park, he was attacked by a group of people.

The man said a man on an electric scooter dismounted the vehicle and kicked him in the stomach, and as he tried to walk away, two other people joined the attacker in assaulting him. 

In light of the recent assaults, the planned India Day celebrations in Phoenix Park have been cancelled.

Fine Gael councillor Supriya Singh, who moved to Ireland in 2016 from India, said “we cannot let a small minority of people spread hate.”

“I hear it directly from people- parents are worried about their children, students feeling unsafe. These attacks are not just isolated incidents; they send a ripple of fear through the whole community.”

The Donaghmede councillor said, “at the same time, I want to stress that the majority of people in Ireland are welcoming and supportive, and many Irish friends and neighbours have stood in solidarity with the Indian community at this hour.”

“The media is reflecting a genuine problem, but it’s also important to highlight the positive – that racism is being challenged loudly and publicly.”

Singh said that political leadership was needed to meet the moment, saying “we need politicians to keep reinforcing the message that diversity is Ireland’s strength, not a weakness. The way forward is through solidarity, not division.”

The Fine Gael councillor said, “we have to be careful not to blame immigrants for a housing crisis that has been building for years.”

“Ireland’s population has grown, yes, and immigration is part of that story, we need long-term housing investment.”

“Indian immigrants are not only residents, citizens, they are doctors, carers, tech workers, and have been contributing in Ireland from all spheres of life. Planning is important, absolutely, but the conversation must stay focused on building more homes and fixing supply, not on turning communities against each other,” she said.

In a statement on Thursday, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said, “any attack against innocent members of the public, such as those suffered by members of the Indian community, are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

“Attacks on individuals because of their inherent characteristics, including race, are abhorrent to the values of our republic and are condemned by any right-thinking people.”

The Minister said it was concerning that the majority of the racist attacks appear to be carried out by young people.

“Our laws have recently been amended by the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024 to ensure any attack motivated by hate will, on conviction, result in increased sentencing parameters for the sentencing judge, so there are severe consequences for the perpetrators of these attacks.”

Sinn Féin councillor Micheál Mac Donncha has criticised the attacks, saying “Ireland is better than this, and these despicable racist attacks do not represent us”.

“The country was shocked by the brutal attack on an Indian man in Kilnamanagh last month; to hear of a similar attack in Fairview Park last weekend is appalling,” the Donaghmede councillor said.

“Ireland is better than this, we are a welcoming country in which immigrant workers make a huge contribution to our health services and many other public services and industries. The tiny bigoted minority who carry out these racist attacks do not represent the Irish people. We totally reject them and their creed of hate.

Mac Donncha said that social media platforms have a major role to play in enabling hatred towards immigrants, calling social media platforms “irresponsible.”

“The irresponsibility of social media platforms must be highlighted again, and it requires national and international action. Lies and provocation are widespread online, much of it promoted by well-funded outside agencies that are allowed to misuse these platforms with fake news and fake accounts.”

The Donaghmede councillor said, “we stand in solidarity with all who have experienced racism. Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins has rightly stated that the attacks ‘stand in stark contradiction to the values that we as people hold dear.’”

A cross-party statement was issued by Dublin City Council members from Sinn Féin, Fine Gael, Independents, Social Democrats, Fianna Fáil, Green Party, Labour Party and People Before Profit.

The statement reads “Dublin is a great city. It is a city of proud, welcoming communities, with a wonderful history. It has much to offer those who live, visit, work, and study here.”

“Dublin City Council condemns the rise of racism and racist attacks in Dublin in the strongest possible terms. Racism has no place in this great city of ours. It offers nothing but division, fear and conflict.”

“We want to send out a clear strong message; we are united in condemning racism in all its forms. We are working to make Dublin a safe, welcoming city for everyone, regardless of who you are, where you are, what you look like or who you are with.”

The letter was signed by Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan, Fine Gael’s Colm O’Rourke, independent councillor Cieran Perry, Social Democrats councillor Daniel Ennis, Fianna Fáil councillor Daryl Barron, Green Party councillor Janet Horner, Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty and People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy.

Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said in response to the India Day celebrations being cancelled, “congratulations to every flag-wielding bigot and those in politics who pander to them. Take a bow. This is the Ireland you want.”

Can all those who, in the post-referendum glow last year, came out against Hate Speech legislation now tell us how right they were? Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, etc? – gutless cowards.”

“Those who want a different Republic need to reclaim it,” he said.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said that the government’s “hands-off” approach to tackling racism has facilitated the attacks.

“The Minister for Justice should spend less time boasting about the people his department has deported and more time tackling the rise in hate crimes on our streets”, the Dublin Central TD said.

“We already know that the Minister’s consistent ‘tough on immigration’ stance has been little more than a blatant attempt to mislead the public into believing that this year’s deportations were both necessary and meaningful in fixing the system.”

“This is where we are now: a government more interested in appearing ‘tough’ than in protecting our most vulnerable, standing by while hatred and racism have been allowed to flourish.”

“Ireland is losing its reputation as a welcoming country, and for good reason – work has yet to be done to live up to that badge of honour,” he said.

With additional reporting by Darren J. Prior