People taking part in a silent protest for migrant workers and their families outside the Department of the Taoiseach on August 13, 2025 following a spate of attacks on members of the Indian community. Picture: PA
The authorities are being asked to investigate a barrage of messages targeting the Indian community last year — forcing an annual day of celebration to be postponed for fear of attacks — to confirm whether it was part of an orchestrated campaign to foment anti-Indian sentiment in Ireland.
Calls and social media posts targeting the Ireland India Council, as well as several high-profile physical attacks in the community, led to an India Day event being postponed last year.
More than 90% of the calls the council received, some made at 4am, appeared to originate from the US, the council said ahead of this year’s event next weekend.
The co-chairman of the Ireland India Council, Prashant Shukla, said Irish authorities should investigate the incident as it could happen again to a different minority community.
“Irish authorities need to look at it comprehensively, and they should not only see it as an issue for one particular community,” said Mr Shukla.
“I was of the very clear view that last year the Indian community was targeted because it is linked to Irish progress, the Irish tech industry, and healthcare.
I’ve been living here over 25 years and I’ve never seen any Irish people not be friendly to the Indian community, and suddenly, there was a wave of hatred and violence particularly towards one community.
“That was unnatural, it was orchestrated somewhere, and there was something behind that, and we really don’t know until it is properly investigated.”
The campaign involved messages being sent to the Ireland India Council’s social media platforms and the phone number listed on its website.
Calls left on the group’s voicemail system, which transcribes messages that it records, were “really very hostile in nature” and “some were very threatening and abusive”, Mr Shukla said.
He said between 90%-95% of messages appeared to be from the US.
The India Day event last year was called off after organisers expressed concern that a perception of the event could be “used to trigger violence somewhere else”.
The Indian embassy in Dublin had warned Indian citizens last year to take “reasonable” precautions and avoid deserted areas after an apparent increase in physical attacks.
Such incidents were highlighted after an unprovoked attack by youths on an Indian man in Tallaght, where he was partially stripped and beaten.