"This is a habit of Indians"
A photograph of a queue outside an Irish food bank triggered a wave of racist remarks aimed at Indians.
The image showed students waiting outside the Speir student party at the University of Galway.
It accompanied an article in The Irish Times about how the student-operated initiative was struggling to cope with growing demand amid the country’s deepening cost-of-living crisis.
According to The Irish Times article, the pantry distributed nearly €500,000 worth of food in 2025. Despite that, organisers are forced to turn away hundreds of students every week due to overwhelming demand.
Long queues have become common, with over 100 students lining up during a recent distribution slot. The initiative was originally launched as an environmental project but has evolved into a vital support service.
The report did not provide any breakdown of nationalities among those using the facility.
The full photo showed students of different ethnicities waiting outside.
However, some social media users focused on part of the photo that showed Indian nationals and posted racially motivated comments.
One wrote: “Is it my imagination but are most, if not all, of the ‘students’ in that queue foreign?… foreign students should be able to support themselves?”
Another singled out Indians, claiming: “This is a habit of Indians… there are also videos of Indians online, in other countries coaching fellow Indians to save cash by using food banks.”
A third alleged: “They loot every service that the country operates using any sort of trust-based system… To them, it’s a lifehack.”
Without evidence, one person claimed “the entire queue… is Indian”.
A comment read: “Deport Indians. Stop universities selling places to foreigners. And Irish people who need it can get the services they require.”
One user asked: “How come it’s only Indian foreign students in the line and not other international student groups?”
Another X user wrote:
“Immigrants are natural thieves and will take money (or food) even if they have plenty of their own.”
The comments amid wider concerns about xenophobia in Ireland.
In 2025, several violent incidents involving members of the Indian community were reported.
In one case, a 40-year-old Indian man working for Amazon, who had arrived in Ireland weeks earlier, was assaulted in Tallaght, Dublin. He was beaten, stabbed in the face and partially stripped. Authorities investigated the attack as a potential hate crime.
In a separate incident, 32-year-old Indian-origin resident Santosh Yadav suffered a fractured cheekbone and multiple injuries after being attacked by six teenagers near his Dublin apartment.
Migrant advocacy groups have warned that Indians appear to be a particular focus in some hate incidents. Officials maintain that Ireland remains broadly safe for international residents.
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