Amid racist attacks in Ireland, man asks Indians to adjust to ‘the culture of the country'

Mint

4 days ago

Amid a string of racist attacks in Ireland – with a six-year-old girl from Kerala being the latest victim – an Indian expat living in the island nation has asserted that Indians relocating to Ireland should adapt to local Irish culture instead of trying to turn the Western country into 'another India'.
'Shouldn't we as migrants adjust to the culture of the country we are living in? I have seen a lot of Indians trying to make the country they are living in feel like India, even though they left India for a reason. I am not saying you should abandon your culture, but we should respect the culture of the country we are living in and not try to turn it into another India,' reads part of the Reddit post.
The user also shared a picture of an Indian passport, claiming that it shows they were born in India.
The post has garnered mixed reactions from social media users. Here's how people responded:
One individual commented, 'From what I have seen, I think there are two types of Indian migrants: one who understands this and acts accordingly, and the other who knows it but doesn't care and continues to do things his/her way. By that, I mean I have seen people littering on beaches, playing loud music on public transport, etc. I have never seen a well-educated foreign national do it. That's the sad part. And the latter will, of course, irritate the natives, which in turn affects the former as well.'
Another added, 'Indian people who make their home in Ireland should absolutely bring their culture with them, but they should also work to integrate with Irish society. Your kids should learn Irish in school. They should play hurling/camogie as well as cricket. Indian food producers should take stalls at Irish farmers' markets. Indian festivals should feature Irish artists as well. Don't shut yourselves off – integrate and help improve this place we call home.'
A third user expressed, 'I am not Indian, but I am curious about what you mean by this. I have worked with lots of Indians for 16 years in Ireland, and I haven't met a single one who tried to make Ireland like India. If anything, I have seen the opposite – Indians enjoying the different opportunities and cultural exposure they get in Ireland.'
A fourth wrote, 'For context, I'm Irish. That being said, this is pretty much expected of any immigrant in a nation, but even then, it wouldn't really change anything. Racists will still attack people. Harassment will still happen. As far as I know, most immigrants adjust pretty well to Irish culture. A lot of people on the far right just associate cultural assimilation with complete abandonment of your own culture, which is obviously idiotic.'
In a recent disturbing incident, a six-year-old girl from Kottayam, Kerala, was subjected to racist abuse by a gang of children aged between 12 and 14 while playing outside her house in Waterford City, in southeast Ireland.
According to her mother, the gang punched her daughter in the face, called her 'dirty,' and hit her private parts with a bicycle.
This was not the first racist attack targeting someone of Indian origin in Ireland. The country is still reeling from recent incidents in Dublin's Tallaght and Clondalkin areas.
In light of the increasing number of racial attacks, the Indian Embassy in Dublin has issued a statement urging Indian citizens in the country to exercise caution.