Confidence in Gardaí in migrant community “on floor” amid rise in anti-Indian attacks

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

On Thursday (7), RTÉ aired a Prime Time segment which highlighted fears among the Indian community in Ireland following a string of high-profile attacks which are linked to racism. 

In light of recent events, the Indian embassy in Ireland issued advice to its citizens, which called on Indian citizens to “take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours.”

The July statement read, “there has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently. The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned of Ireland in this regard,” the statement read.

Local Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said, “the far-right and all the politicians who’ve used racist or anti-refugee sentiments or organised charter flights – this is down to you.”

She said, “it’s only a matter of time until someone is killed thanks to your scapegoating.”

Newly-elected Mayor of Fingal Tom O’Leary said “we have zero tolerance for racism in Ireland.”

The Fine Gael councillor was speaking recently at India Day at Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park, which was attended by members of the Indian community.

The event was held after an attack in Tallaght, where a newly-arrived Indian immigrant, who arrived in Ireland on a critical skills visa, suffered a broken nose and was left with deep scars after being attacked by teenagers.

O’Leary said, “the inexcusable attack is not reflective of who we are as a society. No one should have to fear violence or harassment based on nationality, faith, or ethnicity. 

“The 45,000 members of the Indian community in Ireland are a key part of our health service, our IT sector, the financial and banking community and indeed our hospitality sector. They are very welcome in Ireland and are a warm-hearted people, just like the Irish.”

“The full force of the state must bring the perpetrators to justice,” the Fine Gael councillor said.

In the immediate aftermath of the Tallaght attack in late July, Sinn Féin TD Paul Donnelly stated, “how could this happen? Here’s how: just like the Nazis, when people are demonised, when you wave your tricolour flag and shout that they are the cause of the country’s problems (the housing crisis, the healthcare crisis) – instead of holding to account those truly responsible, namely 100 years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rule, this is the result.”

Donnelly said, “if you shout ‘get them out’ if you post that migrants are the ‘problem’, if you share racist comments, then this is the consequence of your active support for anti-migrant sentiment.”

Donnelly said, “these young people heard your words, and they took it further. They used extreme violence to beat and stab a man, and then spread a vile and false claim about him.”

“We all have concerns about different policies around migration; they should be directed at the state, directed at the government that makes policies and never at the people.”

Donnelly’s party colleague Seán Crowe wrote, “my message to the young men who carried out this vicious attack is this: you’re not a patriot.”

“You’re certainly not standing up for women and children. You are sowing hate, fear, and division in communities that have suffered more than enough from a lack of resources from the government, and not some innocent resident trying to make a life here.”

Green Party leader and Dublin 15 Roderic O’Gorman has called on the Minister for Justice to speed up the implementation of measures set out in the National Action Plan Against Racism, which was published in 2023.

The National Action Plan Against Racism was drawn up in 2023, when the Greens were in government and O’Gorman himself served as Minister for Integration in addition to being Minister for Children, Equality, Disability and Youth.

O’Gorman noted, “the very first Objective of the National Action Plan Against Racism is called ‘Being Safe – Being Heard’ and right now, our Indian Community, our Southeast Asian Community, do not feel safe. They feel explicitly targeted by hate, both online and through physical attacks”.

“To respond, the Minister for Justice needs to bring forward the implementation of key goals in the National Action Plan Against Racism. This means putting in place new mechanisms to facilitate third-party and online reporting of racist incidents. The Minister also needs to ensure that there is a specialist unit within each Garda Division charged with dealing with hate crime and racist incidents”, O’Gorman said.

In the foreword to the National Plan Against Racism, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar wrote, “as a society, we are becoming more diverse, and with this, our attitudes and actions towards differences must also change.”

“Most Irish people recognise the benefits which this diversity has brought, enriching our communities, growing our economy by filling gaps in the labour force and helping to staff our health service. However, combating racism is a responsibility we all share.”

Green councillor Feljin Jose said, “confidence in the Gardaí among the migrant community is on the floor at the moment. This has been going on for years, and it has intensified to at least one attack every day now. There is silence from the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and silence from the government,” the Cabra-Glasnevin councillor said.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said that racially motivated abuse of workers should not be tolerated.

The INMO noted that in 2024, over 35,000 nurses and midwives registered with the NMBI were educated outside of Ireland.

INMO Deputy General Secretary Edward Mathews said that “nearly 35,500 nurses and midwives have come here to work from other parts of the world and provide essential services.”

“Just as importantly, they and their families are rooted in our communities. They should not be afraid to go to and from their workplaces or anywhere else in their communities because of the disgraceful actions of some.”

Matthews said, “recent horrific attacks on members of the Indian community in Ireland should be condemned. There must be a robust policing response to racially motivated abuse and attacks. We do not want Ireland to be a place where nurses and midwives are afraid to work.”

“Providing more robust protections would go a long way to making internationally educated nurses and midwives feel safe. Everyone should have the right to work in an environment free from abuse or harassment of any kind and to feel safe in their community.

Matthews noted, “in broader terms, as a society, it has never been more important to reject racism. Hateful rhetoric and violent attacks must not become the norm. It is unacceptable that consular services in Ireland feel the need to issue advisories about travel and personal security at unsociable hours.”

“This should raise alarm bells; this is not the type of country we want to be,” he said.