ONE of Ireland’s largest events celebrating Indian culture has been postponed following recent violent incidents targeting members of the Indian community, the Ireland India Council said on Monday.
“We feel that the situation at the moment for holding India Day is not conducive,” council co-chairman Prashant Shukla told reporters after meeting Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris.
The annual event, scheduled for Sunday, has been organised by the council in collaboration with the Irish government since 2015 and features cultural performances.
Shukla said the decision to postpone the celebration was “very difficult” but taken for the “safety” of the community.
“I completely condemn the despicable acts of violence and racism that we have seen against some members of the community in recent weeks,” Harris said in an X post after meeting Indian community leaders.
Ireland’s police force did not provide details about the number or nature of the incidents when asked by AFP.
Earlier this month, the Indian Embassy in Dublin issued a safety advisory after “an increase in instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently”.
The embassy advised Indians “to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours”.
The Irish Embassy in New Delhi said it “condemns” the attacks and is in contact with police regarding investigations.
Local media reported that a six-year-old girl of Indian origin was assaulted and called racial slurs last week in southeast Ireland. The Irish Times also reported that an Indian taxi driver in Dublin was attacked with a broken bottle by two passengers and told to “go back to your country”.
Shukla said there was concern about “the speed of hate coming on our social media” and cited “extreme right propaganda and some false perception” that Indian immigrants were responsible for Ireland’s housing problems.
According to an Irish government website, India Day is “one of the largest India-related events in Ireland”. The new date will be announced later.
India marks its independence from British colonial rule on August 15, with celebrations held worldwide by the Indian diaspora.
An estimated 80,000 people of Indian descent live in Ireland, making up around one per cent of the population.
(With inputs from agencies)
English questioning rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent, and racist jokes from 36 per cent to 41 per cent
Workplace violence against Black and ethnic minority employees rises to 26 per cent
Highlights
The Trades Union Congress surveyed 1,044 Black, Asian and ethnic minority employees. The results show clear increases in racist behaviour between 2020 and 2026.
Workers having their English questioned rose from 20 per cent to 31 per cent. Those hearing racist jokes went up from 36 per cent to 41 per cent.
Racist comments made to workers or around them increased from 31 per cent to 36 per cent.
Violence and threats
The most worrying finding involves physical threats and violence, which jumped from 19 per cent to 26 per cent.
Racist posts shared on workplace social media grew from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. Racist materials being passed around increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.
Beyond direct racism, many workers face unfair treatment. Nearly half (45 per cent) said they get harder or less popular jobs.
Over two in five (43 per cent) receive unfair criticism. The same number (41 per cent) stay stuck on temporary contracts.
Work conditions got worse too. Those not getting enough hours rose from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.
Workers denied overtime went from 30 per cent to 37 per cent. Being kept on short-term contracts increased from 33 per cent to 41 per cent.
Direct managers cause most unfair treatment (35 per cent), followed by other managers (19 per cent).
Bullying mainly comes from direct managers (30 per cent) and colleagues (28 per cent). Racist behaviour mostly comes from colleagues (33 per cent) and customers or clients (22 per cent).
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said: "Black and ethnic minority workers are facing appalling and growing levels of racism and unfair treatment in Britain. This racism is plaguing the labour market – and it's getting worse."
The TUC is calling for urgent government action to tackle the problem. The union wants ring-fenced funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to enforce workplace protections.
It is pushing for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for companies with over 50 employees.
The TUC says the Employment Rights Act, which makes employers responsible for protecting workers from harassment by customers and clients, will be an important step forward.
The union also wants employers to treat racial harassment as a health and safety issue and monitor ethnicity data across recruitment, pay and promotions.