Latest news with #JimO'Callaghan
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian man assaulted, stripped and left bloodied in a possible hate crime in Ireland's Dublin
An Indian man was assaulted and stripped by a group of men in Dublin, Ireland, in what investigators suspect to be a racist attack. As per reports, the Indian man was attacked by a group on the allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour around kids.' The Indian national was assaulted by a group of men, who allegedly removed his pants before he was rescued by locals in Dublin.(Representative) The Indian national, who has not been identified, is said to be in his 40s. The police have dismissed any inappropriate behaviour on his part and the authorities are probing the incident as a possible hate crime, the Irish Times reported. The incident took place on Saturday, July 19, in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin. The Indian national was assaulted by a group of men, who allegedly removed his pants before he was rescued by locals. The man had multiple wounds and was bleeding from his face, arms and legs when he was rescued. The man was rushed to the Tallaght University Hospital with injuries and was discharged from the hospital on July 20. What did the police say about the possible racist attack on the Indian man? According to Garda (Irish National Police), the attackers falsely claimed the man was behaving inappropriately around children, which was also propagated by far-right and anti-immigrant accounts on social media. The police, however, said that those claims had no basis in reality. "Garda in Tallaght were alerted to an incident at Parkhill Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, on the evening of Saturday, July 19, 2025, at approximately 6 PM. Garda attended the scene and a male, aged in his 40s, was taken to Tallaght University Hospital with injuries," a police spokesperson was quoted by Irish Times as saying. Some of the attackers have carried out unprovoked attacks on foreigners in the Tallaght area recently, and Garda has opened an investigation into the incident, the investigators said. Irish justice minister Jim O'Callaghan recently acknowledged instances of foreign nationals being falsely accused of crimes. "Increasingly, you hear people blaming immigrants for crimes. All I can say to you is: I have asked for the statistics, and when you look at the prison population of people convicted of offences, the percentage of immigrants in prison is lower than the percentage of immigrants in society," he said. The minister said that there was no substance to the suggestion that immigrants were more likely to commit a criminal offence. Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was critical of the incident involving the Indian man and slammed RTE News for reporting the incident as "alleged assault". "How can an 'alleged' assault cause such horrible injury and bleeding? Aghast at the insensitivity and obfuscation of RTE News! Thank Hon @paulmurphy_TD @gardainfo and Irish people for their sympathy, support to the innocent victim. Hope the perpetrators are brought to justice!" he said in a post on X.
Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
National Development Plan allocates almost €4bn for defence and justice capital spends
Capital spend on defence is set to total €1.7bn over the next five years under the National Development Plan (NDP), with justice due to get a total capital budget of €2.18bn. The total allocation for the Department of Defence between 2026-2030 compares to €697m in the five years 2021 to 2025 — an increase of 144%, excluding inflation. The total spend on the Department of Justice in 2026-2030 compares to €1.35bn in 2021 to 2025 — a rise of 61%, not factoring in inflation. The expansion of the Department of Justice to incorporate migration explains, in part, the extra capital allocation. In addition, cybersecurity and the National Cyber Security Centre have just been transferred to it. The National Development Review Plan 2025, published on Tuesday, outlines annual allocations across the security departments: Defence — €300m in 2026, rising to €340m in both 2027 and 2028, and increasing to €360m in both 2029 and 2030; Justice — €390m in 2026, rising to €430m in 2027, €440m in 2028, €455m in 2029, and €465m in 2030. There was no detail of department allocations in the 49-page NDP review, compared to the 184-page NDP 2021-2030 document. Levels of investment The Government has committed to implement the second of three levels of investment (LOA2) set out by the Commission on the Defence Forces in February 2022, centred on increasing the annual defence budget from €1.1bn in 2022 to €1.5bn in 2028, based on 2022 prices. The NDP capital spends are also based on the Defence Equipment Development Plan 2020-2024 and the Defence Capital Infrastructure Development Plan 2022-2027. Major capital projects include three C295 surveillance aircrafts (third due in September), a refit of 80 Mowag armoured personnel carriers, a primary radar system (due in 2028), four modern helicopters (the commission recommended eight), and an expansion of the naval fleet to nine ships by early in the next decade. The Defence Equipment Plan 2020 also mentions plans to acquire an 'air combat interceptor', but it is not clear where that plan went. It is not part of LOA2, although LOA3 does recommend a squadron of fighter jets capable of interception. Overcrowding crisis It is not yet clear what the breakdown is under the justice budget and how much will go to prison expansion and refurbishment, given the escalating overcrowding crisis in the Irish Prison Service. The programme for government commits to 1,500 new spaces by 2030. Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan recently secured Cabinet agreement to accelerate the delivery of 960 of the additional spaces in Castlerea, Midlands, Wheatfield, and Mountjoy Prisons. He said that, 'subject to the necessary funding' in the NDP, this should speed up delivery by 12 to 18 months.
India Today
20 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Framed, stripped, left bloodied: Indian man attacked by 'racist gang' in Ireland
An Indian man in his 40s was assaulted and stripped by a group of attackers in the Irish capital of Dublin. The unnamed individual was falsely accused of acting inappropriately around children and authorities were probing the incident as a possible hate crime, The Irish Times incident occurred on July 19 evening when the Indian national was set upon by a group of young men in the suburb of Tallaght and thrashed him. The attackers removed his trousers before passers-by rescued him. The man was left bleeding from multiple wounds on his face, arms and to Garda (Irish National Police), the attackers falsely claimed the man was behaving inappropriately around children. These claims were amplified online by prominent far-right and anti-immigrant online accounts. However, Garda rejected such claims of the man acting man was rushed to the Tallaght University Hospital with injuries and was discharged from the hospital on July 20."Garda in Tallaght were alerted to an incident at Parkhill Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, on the evening of Saturday, July 19, 2025, at approximately 6 pm. Garda attended the scene and a male, aged in his 40s was taken to Tallaght University Hospital with injuries," a police spokesperson to investigators, some of the attackers have carried out unprovoked attacks on foreigners in the Tallaght area recently, according to The Irish has opened an investigation into the Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said he was aware of instances of foreign nationals being falsely accused of crimes."Increasingly, you hear people blaming immigrants for crimes. All I can say to you is: I have asked for the statistics and when you look at the prison population of people convicted of offences, the percentage of immigrants in prison is lower than the percentage of immigrants in society," he said."So there's no substance to the suggestion that immigrants are more likely to commit a criminal offence," he Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was critical of the incident involving the Indian man and slammed RTE News for reporting the incident with "alleged assault". "How can an 'alleged' assault cause such horrible injury and bleeding? Aghast at the insensitivity and obfuscation of RTE News! Thank Hon @paulmurphy_TD @gardainfo and Irish people for their sympathy, support to the innocent victim. Hope the perpetrators are brought to justice!" he NARRATE INCIDENTadvertisementAn eyewitness who claimed she witnessed the Indian man being attacked said the 'racist gang' stole his bank cards, phone, shoes and trousers. The Irish woman, whose testimonial has gone viral on social media, said the man was staying with his friend and had arrived in the country a week ago."I was driving to my mother-in-law when I saw 13 teenagers, including a woman, rounding up that man. I saw that the man was completely dripped in blood from his head to toes. His entire body was covered in blood," the woman eyewitness, who became emotional as she narrated the incident, said the man was embarrassed and visibly shocked by what he had gone through."His trousers were pulled down. He was whacked. His head was gashed due to a blade in the knuckles of those animals. And this attack happened at 6 pm in broad daylight," she warned about the gang, saying its members go around neighbourhoods and stab people in their faces. "Four Indian men were stabbed on the face by these teens in the past four days. How many of you knew that or saw it in the news?" she woman said the man pleaded for help and she provided him with first aid and a blanket to cover himself, before calling the police and an ambulance."They left him to die. The man gave me his name, his phone number and the address of his family in India. He also told me why he came to the country. He's been here for a week," she further said.- Ends
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Louth councillors back intervention for Palestinian boxing trip
The trip to Ireland is set to include a 'whistle stop' visit to Drogheda, where Cllr, Eric Donovan, a former international boxer, is hoping to lead a training session for the boxers from the West Bank and the Aida refugee camp in Palestine. Cllr. Donovan told the meeting that the group are looking forward to taking part in the event organised by Irish Sport for Palestine, which will includes male and female boxers, and both youth and senior competitors. A key part of the trip will see the group hosted by Irish Olympic champion Kellie Harrington in Dublin. "Potentially, this will be a fantastic opportunity for the Palestinian boxers to train with and learn from some of the best boxers in the world,' said Cllr. Donovan. 'It will also give them a temporary break from the constant bombardment of their country.' But pre-planning for the event has been overshadowed by fears over a delay in securing visas for the group. Cllr. Donovan submitted an emergency motion at the council meeting, saying: "Following the disappointing VISA administration debacle faced by GAA Palestine over the past few weeks and the resulting heartbreak of the children and sponsors involved in the project to bring kids from Palestine to play GAA in Ireland, I am calling on this Council to write to the Minister of Justice, Jim O'Callaghan to ensure that there is no similar administrative delay by the Department of Justice when Ireland welcomes the young Palestinian Boxing team from the Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem.' He said that only five of the group of 16 have had their visas approved, only because they hold non-Palestinian passports, and explained that all preparations on the Irish side, including garda vetting has taken place. Cllr. Donovan outlined to councillors that Irish Sport advocates for the Palestinian through sport and various fundraising events, which have helped to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine. The group has formed the Shamrock and Olive Tree Boxing project, which is planning the trip for boxers from Palestine and from Ramallah in the West Bank, to Waterford, Dublin and Louth before they head north to Belfast. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'One of the boxers is the Olympian Waseem Abu Sal, a world champion boxer, he is an Olympic athlete so to think that he is still waiting for approval.. my mind boggles,' said Cllr. Donovan. He asked councillors to write to the Minister to 'ensure this event is brought to a smooth fruition, and there is no repeat of what happened with GAA Palestine.' Cllr. Donovan added: ' An old coach of mine used to say that sport can change the world, and that there is nothing more uniting than sport, so I think it is extremely important that we extend the hand of friendship and solidarity with those who need it most.' Speaking after the meeting, Cllr. Donovan said: 'I want to thank all the councillors across the chamber as they supported my motion for the Council to write to Minister Jim O'Callaghan to ensure there is no repeat of the visa debacle leaving more heartbreak with young Palestinians. They have enough to contend with.'
The Journal
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Irish immigration officials refuse 265 Palestinian visa applications since 7 October attacks
IRISH IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS have refused visas for 265 Palestinians since October 2023, when Israel began its war in Gaza in response to attacks on its civilians by Hamas. Figures from the Department of Justice show that 1,249 visa applications by Palestinians were made between 1 October 2023 and 30 June of this year. They include 851 applications for short-stay C visas , which allow people to stay in Ireland for up to three months, and 398 applications for longer-term D visas , which allow people to work or settle permanently in Ireland and to apply for a residence permit. According to the figures, 445 Palestinians have been granted C visas since October 2023 while 208 Palestinians have been refused; and a further 288 Palestinians have been granted D visas during the same time-frame, while 57 Palestinians have been refused. The issue of visas for Palestinians has made headlines in recent weeks after The Journal reported that visas were refused for dozens of Palestinians from the West Bank who were due to travel to Ireland for a GAA tour this month. Advertisement GAA Palestine had plans in place for 47 Palestinians to travel here, including 33 children aged between 9 and 16 years of age. A total of 152 families in Ireland had signed up to host the group as they were to travel around Ireland. The figures provided by the Department do not include those for the GAA Palestine group, as they only cover successful applications and refusals up to the end up June. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan this week rejected criticism from GAA Palestine regarding his department's handling of their visa applications, insisting that their applications had been assessed 'fairly and accurately'. 'No matter who you are, you have to comply with the immigration rules,' he said. 'I'm not going to change those rules simply because there is media pressure put on me.' Citizens of Palestine are required to have a valid Irish entry visa before they seek to enter the State. However, a number of Palestinians have also claimed asylum in Ireland in recent years. This week, Cabinet heard that there were 957 international protection applications by Palestinians in 2024, though the figure dropped to just 65 applications in the first six months of 2025. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
