A spate of recent violent assaults on Indian nationals in Ireland, all allegedly carried out by groups of local teenagers, has raised urgent questions about a possible pattern of racially motivated hate crimes in the country.
The most recent case involves Santosh Yadav, a senior data scientist at WiSAR Lab and co-founder of the tech firm CogniX, who was brutally beaten in Dublin. In a LinkedIn post, Yadav wrote that he was “attacked and left with a fractured cheek” in what he described as a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”. He said he was walking near his apartment when a group of six teenagers assaulted him, breaking his glasses and punching him repeatedly.
“They snatched my glasses, breaking them, and then beat me relentlessly across my head, face, neck, chest, hands, and legs, leaving me bleeding on the pavement.”
Yadav said he was later taken to Blanchardstown Hospital, where doctors confirmed a fracture in his cheekbone. While acknowledging the support of the Gardai and medical staff, he stressed that such attacks are no longer isolated events.
“Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin - on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. They run free and are emboldened to attack again.”
His statement follows another violent incident on July 19, when a 40-year-old Indian man -- in Ireland for just three weeks on a critical skills visa -- was brutally assaulted while walking to the Vinayaka Hindu temple. Teenagers taunted him with racist remarks, questioning his presence in Ireland, and then beat him unconscious before stripping him from the waist down.
A friend of the victim told The Irish Times: “He tried explaining he’d been hired by a tech company to fill a skills gap here in Ireland. And then they hit him badly on the head… he realised blood was oozing from his forehead.”
The victim was helped by Jennifer Murray, a local woman who called the authorities. Visibly emotional in a later video, Murray recalled:
“I saw this man standing there, completely soaked in blood, from his head all the way down to his toes… At that moment, he was pleading, ‘please help me, please save me’.”
Following the incident, false claims were circulated online that the victim had behaved inappropriately around children. Conservative influencer David Atherton posted the video, stating the man was “taught some manners”. Both Murray and the Irish police rejected these claims, with Murray asserting:
“He was so extremely polite to me the whole time, all he could say was thank you, thank you … he was visibly shocked, completely shocked.”
Another Indian student, pursuing a master’s degree at Dublin Business School, was also attacked on the same day. He was assaulted in Sean Walsh Park, with teenagers punching him in the face and body, leaving him with a broken nose.
These are just the most recent incidents in a growing list. In May, Indian nurse Jiby Palatty had to call police after being hit by a glass bottle thrown by teenagers on an e-scooter. Though the injury was minor, she said the emotional trauma was far greater.
“I’ve been here since 2006 and I suddenly felt like I wasn’t welcomed. I felt embarrassed and alone,” she said.
Back in September 2023, two Indian students in Cork were reportedly attacked with ropes by teenagers in the city centre. One had a rope thrown around his neck while on a call. A second incident occurred half an hour later involving the same group.
According to Dr Lekha Menon Margassery, president of the UCC Indian Alumni Community, both students were shaken but managed to report the incidents.
A backdrop of rising anti-immigration sentiment
These assaults are occurring against the backdrop of rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Ireland. In 2023–2024, 150,000 people migrated to the country -- the highest figure in 17 years. Indians now make up the third-largest foreign national group after Polish and UK citizens.
Government figures show that Indians received more than a third of all skilled work permits in 2024 -- 13,500 compared to just over 4,000 each for Brazilians and Filipinos. The Indian population in Ireland has tripled in the last decade, according to census data.
But this growth has coincided with growing local frustration. Many Irish nationals blame immigrants for the worsening housing crisis, soaring rents, and rising homelessness. Tensions have spilled over in violent ways, including riots in Northern Ireland in June, where 40 police officers were injured.
As Indian tech professionals, students, and healthcare workers increasingly call Ireland home, these recent incidents have left many wondering whether they can feel safe walking the streets. For now, the Indian community and its supporters are demanding accountability and swift action from the Irish authorities.
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