Indian community celebrates independence day in Dublin
The free event at Merrion Square came despite a separate celebration being called off following concern over recent attacks on the Indian community.
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Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has expressed concern over 'totally unacceptable' attacks on the Indian community, adding that the majority appear to have been carried out by young people.
Mr O'Callaghan said he engaged extensively with the Garda commissioner on the matter, and senior investigating officers had been assigned to investigate all reported incidents.
Event organizer Sanjeeb Barik with a statue of the Indian deity Jagannath as people attend the India Day Festival at Merrion Square Park, Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)
Sunday's celebration, organised for India's 79th independence day, featured music, dance, food stalls, exhibition stands and a range of cultural activities.
Sanjeeb Barik, the secretary of organising group the Federation of Indian Communities in Ireland, said the event had gone well amid 'fantastic and beautiful weather'.
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'Lots of people are here, there's food and dancing and lots of fun.'
Asked about the engagement with Government and gardai, Mr Barik said the event had received 'good support'.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'Naturally, because there has been so many incidents there was some concern.
'We have been actively discussing with ministers, junior ministers and the Minister of Justice and they have all assured us that appropriate safety measures would be in place – and they are.
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'We're working very closely to make sure everyone would be safe and, importantly, that it would be enjoyable for everyone.'
Mr Barik said they wanted to go ahead with the celebrations to send a message about the importance of standing together.
'It has been a challenging time but the main thing is to come together as a community and celebrate our heritage
'There are people from all backgrounds here – Indian, Irish and others – from all over the the island.
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'It is about the strength of bonding and sowing the richness of India and Ireland's multicultural spirit.'
From left, Areet Kaur Chandi, seven, Japleen Kaur, 10, and Preety Singh, eight, join the festivities for India Day in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)
He said: 'We are saying come together, stand together. Celebrate unity and diversity – and I hope that will continue.'
Inspector Ciaran Nunan from the Garda diversity unit said hate crimes are attacks on the whole community.
'The mission statement of An Garda Siochana is keeping people safe, and this refers to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole.
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'It also now includes hate crime. Hate crime is not just an attack on a person, it's an attack on the community.
'The gardaí is very aware of the impact that hate crime has upon individuals and communities, and we take it very, very seriously.
'Since our last India Day celebration last year, we now have hate crime legislation in force and we're applying that legislation at every opportunity – but we need people to report incidents of hate crime to us so that we can then take them on board and react to those.'
Entertainment was part of the festivities in Merrion Square Park (Niall Carson/PA)
He said: 'So I would encourage everybody or anybody that perceives to be a victim of a hate crime to please report it to An Garda Siochana, and allow us to continue what we're doing and work with our communities to keep people safe.'The Dublin event was attended by Akhilesh Mishra, ambassador of India to Ireland, and Minister of State Emer Higgins.
The Ireland India Council, a separate group, said there had been an organised social media campaign against the Indian community in the country and the number of violent attacks has intensified since January.
Last week, it said it took the 'difficult' decision to postpone its planned event at Farmleigh House over concerns for the safety of the community.
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