'India Day will not be ruined' as council insists celebration is postponed -- not cancelled

Extra.ie​

16 hours ago

Far-right agitators will not be given the opportunity to 'ruin' India Day, the Ireland India Council has said.
The statement came just hours after the group decided to postpone the annual celebration, citing a 'spate of violent attacks' on members of the Indian community in recent months.
Prashant Shukla, chairman of the Ireland India Council (IIC), told Extra.ie that postponing the event was 'very difficult' and 'emotional'. He said the Council believes there is an 'organised' social media campaign against the Indian community in Ireland, and the number of violent attacks has intensified since January this year. India Day takes place in the Phoenix Park every year. Pic: Getty Images
Mr Shukla told Extra.ie that members of the Indian community are 'really concerned and fearful' for their safety at present. He said that after consulting with An Garda Síochána, it was agreed that the Indian Day celebration should be deferred until later this year.
He added: 'Anything could happen, we just do not know.' The IIC chair expressed concern over the optics of going ahead with the event. He said that there is a perception on social media – which is being spread by far-right and extremist groups – that Indians have 'taken over the State' and are fuelling the housing crisis.
He said: 'So we want to actually balance these counter-narratives, they are very, very negative. We will review the situation and we will announce new dates for India Day this year.' India Day takes place in the Phoenix Park every year. Pic: Rollingnews.ie
Mr Shukla also said the IIC had considered going ahead with the celebration on the grounds of standing up to racist agitators. But he said the group ultimately decided that it would be 'unreasonable' to compromise the integrity of the day and the safety of those attending 'to make a point'.
Mr Shukla added: 'India Day is not cancelled, it is postponed. We will celebrate this year, but people are worried and scared right now. We are not giving the far-right what they want by not going ahead, but we are also not giving them the opportunity to ruin the celebration or harm any members of our community.'
This week, one of the largest newspapers in India, the Hindustan Times, carried the headline: 'Harassed by a child: Indian family in Ireland recounts disturbing racist encounter.' The report was about how two boys, aged about seven or eight, had grabbed the crotch of a 60-year-old Indian man and repeatedly harassed him at a Dublin bus stop. An Indian tech worker was beaten, stabbed, robbed and partially stripped by a gang in nearby Kilnamanagh, Tallaght. Pic: Seán Dwyer
On August 1, Indian data scientist Dr Santosh Yadav suffered a broken cheekbone and had multiple injuries all over his body after he was attacked by a group of teenagers in Clondalkin, south-west Co. Dublin, and in July, an Indian tech worker was beaten, stabbed, robbed and partially stripped by a gang in nearby Kilnamanagh, Tallaght. Gardaí are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime.
Tánaiste Simon Harris and Immigration Minister Colm Brophy met with the IIC yesterday and other groups representing Indian citizens here. Mr Harris condemned the number of racist assaults taking place, many of which have been orchestrated by juveniles.
Attacks in recent weeks included an alleged assault of a six-year-old Irish-Indian girl in Waterford. The assault, along with numerous other attacks on Indian people, is currently being investigated by gardaí. Speaking yesterday afternoon, Mr Harris described the attacks on Indian citizens of recent weeks as 'abhorrent'. Pic: Olivier Hoslet/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
The volume of violent attacks has led to the Indian embassy in Dublin issuing an advisory to citizens, urging them to avoid isolated areas in Ireland and to be generally more conscious of their security and surroundings.
In the hours before meeting with Government representatives, the IIC announced its decision to postpone India Day. The celebration has been held in Ireland since 2015, with hundreds of performers and volunteers preparing for Sunday's event at Farmleigh House, adjacent to the Phoenix Park.
Speaking yesterday afternoon, Mr Harris described the attacks on Indian citizens of recent weeks as 'abhorrent'. The Foreign Affairs Minister acknowledged the number of juveniles perpetrating these assaults and said that he would be in favour of introducing tougher penalties for teenagers involved in racist attacks. Ganesh idols ahead at the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Kolkata, India, on August 10, 2025. (Photo by Sudipta Das/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
While Mr Harris said he does not want to 'cut across' the work of Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan, he said that there should be a review of existing legislation to ensure the laws of the State protecting people from assault are being enforced.
He added: 'Serious consideration must be given to whether our laws are robust enough where assaults, attacks, or other criminal activity are carried out – particularly by teenagers or very young offenders. This concern was raised directly with me by the community today and it is something I hear often from people across the country: if crimes are committed by young people, we must ensure there are consequences and real deterrents.'
Mr Harris also said that policymakers must examine 'where this hatred is coming from,' adding: 'No child is born a racist. This is not who we are. I must say, in my meeting with the Indian community, they're very clear too, that this is not what Ireland is. Simon Harris – Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
'The overwhelming majority of people in this country understand that we are better as a result of people from India and other countries coming here, making Ireland their home and contributing positively to society. But it is quite frightening when you see children engaging in activity that is clearly racist.'
The Tánaiste highlighted the role of social media in 'amplifying division, hatred and abuse in ways that cause real harm'.
He said: 'Social media companies must be held accountable for preventing the spread of racist and hate-filled content on their platforms. Racism has no place in Ireland – not on our streets and not online.'
In its meeting with the Tánaiste and Mr Brophy, Aparna Shukla from the IIC said the council wanted assaults on members of the Indian community to be recorded as hate crimes, to ensure the offences are 'appropriately recorded and addressed'.
The IIC has called for a cross-departmental task force on hate crime and youth violence and 'legislative reform' to hold parents more accountable for the actions of their children. It also called for enhanced policing, swift prosecution and an outreach programme to affected communities.
Mr Shukla said Mr Harris and Mr Brophy committed to outlining actions they would take to combat racist attacks in two weeks.
Members of the Federation of Indian Communities in Ireland also attended the meeting. They said that families feel 'insecure' about leaving their homes because of recent attacks.
Dr Jasbir Singh Puri, who has been in Ireland for 38 years, said when he arrived in Ireland, people would have helped guide them. He said: 'It was a land of a thousand welcomes, but now it looks like values have been eroded.'