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Indian Catholics are experiencing an increase in racially motivated attacks, according to parishioners and a community leader.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the National Coordinator of the Syro Malabar Catholics in Ireland Fr Joseph Mathew Oliakkattil said that while Syro Malabars are not being specifically targeted, “as Indians we are threatened”.
“We are so happy with the Irish community because generally they are very welcoming and very appreciative, we feel that always. At the same time there are a few people that are antisocial, they are making these problems. As far as we are concerned, as Indians, as Asian people, we are not white, we feel it is not based on our community but as people of the same colour… this type of attack is growing,” Fr Joseph said.
His comments come following a violent and unprovoked attack on an Indian man in his 40s in Kilnamanagh in Dublin 24 recently. He was badly beaten and stripped by a group of teenagers. He was wrongly accused of acting inappropriately at a nearby playground.
Caren Pinheiro, a Catholic from Kerala living in Dublin who is a student told The Irish Catholic that “lately it’s been a bit unsettling walking around Dublin with the rise in anti-immigrant incidents”.
“When I first came to Ireland, I didn’t feel the need to be so on guard, but that’s definitely changed. I’ve found myself in situations where I’ve been randomly called slurs or faced racist comments, sometimes just as a passerby, or even at my part-time job,” he said.
Errol Pinto, originally from Mumbai, who works as a security officer for several well-known pubs and nightclubs in Dublin said that he has “experienced racism firsthand while simply doing my job”.
Mr Pinto said that while enforcing venue rules, such as asking patrons to leave at closing time or refusing entry when necessary, that “despite approaching people respectfully, I am frequently met with aggression and verbal abuse”.
“On multiple occasions, individuals shouted at me to ‘go back to your country’, simply because I was upholding the rules. These experiences have been deeply disheartening and reflect a troubling reality that many Indians and people of colour face while working frontline roles in Ireland’s nightlife industry,” he said.
Fr Joseph expressed concern that the rise in “the extreme right wing” is due to Government refugee policy, and this is leading to more attacks.
“There are refugees who are coming from other countries, they are coming and the Government is taking care of them… Irish people are not getting enough finance, and they are not getting enough housing opportunities,” he said.
