Gardaí struggle to reassure Indian community amid spate of high-profile attacks

Irish Times

12 hours ago

Following a recent series of seemingly random,
unprovoked attacks on Indian nationals
in Ireland,
Garda
analysts were asked to determine whether the assaults were part of a growing trend.
This was easier said than done, however, as Garda systems do not allow for easy recording of crime victims' ethnicity. However, after combing through the data, they determined there had been no significant increase in Indians living in Ireland being so targeted.
That has not been reflected in national and international headlines.
Large Indian media outlets have featured dozens of articles on the attacks, with headlines such as 'Indian taxi driver rang doorbells after racist attack in Ireland, no one helped' (Hindustani Times, August 5th).
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Online, an open letter from 'an Indian nurse in Ireland' recounted witnessing a group of Irish teens surrounding an eight-year-old Indian girl: 'They were pushing her. Bullying and laughing. For no reason. Just because she looked different. I helped her escape. They ran. And I stood there shaking, wondering ... What kind of place is this becoming?'
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Warnings from the Indian embassy in Dublin only served to escalate worries among the almost 80,000 Indians living here.
'There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,' said the embassy in a statement. It advised Indian nationals to 'take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours'.
Gardaí concede there has been an increase in racially motivated attacks in recent years. These range from abuse and intimidation to serious assaults.
In some cases, such as the violent attack on an Indian tech worker in
Tallaght last month
, the incidents are accompanied by false claims that the victim was a threat to women or children.
There were 676 hate crimes and hate-related incidents in the State in 2024. According to Garda sources, that number is on track to increase this year. However, there is little statistical evidence to show Indian nationals are being singled out, gardaí say.
Sources stressed they are not downplaying the attacks which have occurred. Neither are they saying racism is not a motive in at least some of them. What they are saying is that Indians living in Ireland have no more reason to feel afraid than they did a few months ago.
It is a difficult message to get out there without it being seen as an attempt to minimise 'the genuine and understandable fear' felt by the Indian community, said one source.
An added hurdle is the difficulty in prosecuting perpetrators of hate crimes.
Legislation introduced earlier this year mandated tougher sentences for crimes motivated by hatred. However, so far, the Director of Public Prosecution has set a 'high bar' for designating an offence as a hate crime, said one source.
There is growing pressure on the force from prominent community figures and the Government, which is particularly worried about
Ireland's reputation overseas
. Last week, Ireland's ambassador to India wrote an op-ed in an Indian newspaper saying the attacks 'could not be further from the values Ireland holds dear'.
In response, Garda management is trying to find a way of getting two messages to the Indian community. The first is that there has been no dramatic uptick in violence against Indians. The second is that if a person is attacked, they are urged to come forward, and the matter will be treated seriously and with compassion.
In this regard, Garda engagement with various groups representing the Indian community is ongoing. The force had also planned to attend events surrounding India Day this Sunday to further reassure people.
However, the main event, a festival due to have taken place in Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park,
has now been cancelled
by the organisers due to safety concerns.