Cork, Ireland, is facing alarming concerns from its international student community, particularly students from Bharat. Over recent weeks, there has been an unsettling rise in racially motivated incidents targeting these students, leading to fear and distress. The most shocking of these incidents occurred when two students from Bharat, who had recently arrived in Cork to pursue their studies at University College Cork (UCC), were attacked by a group of teenagers in the city centre. The attacks have raised concerns about safety and racism in Cork, prompting calls for increased policing and a stronger response from local authorities.
A string of racially motivated attacks in Ireland
The most recent and widely reported incident occurred last Saturday when two students from Bharat were targeted by a group of teenagers in separate but similar attacks. Dr. Lekha Menon Margassery, president of the UCC Indian Alumni Community, has been at the forefront of addressing these incidents. According to Dr. Margassery, one of the students was speaking on the phone near Carroll’s Gift Shop on Patrick Street around 5:30 pm when a plastic rope was thrown around his neck by a teenager, in what appeared to be an attempt to strangle him. The student managed to free himself and flee the scene, but the trauma left him shaken.
Within half an hour of this incident, another attack took place involving the same group of teenagers. A second student, who was walking with his wife, was also attacked when a rope was thrown around his neck. Though he managed to remove the rope, the group of teenagers reportedly laughed at him, treating the attack as a joke. Both students, who had previously been working in Bharat and were on sabbatical to pursue their Masters degrees at UCC, were left deeply disturbed by the events.
Dr. Margassery, who has been living in Cork since 2008, expressed her shock at these attacks, stating, “It is very scary because that could happen to anyone.” She noted that such incidents have become more frequent in the last six months, citing another recent case in which graduates from Bharat were verbally abused while shopping in Paul Street Shopping Centre. The students were told to “go back to their country” in an aggressive and xenophobic manner.
These attacks have sent shockwaves through the international student community in Cork, particularly among students from Bharat. One of the students involved in the attack has become so fearful that he now avoids leaving the UCC campus and is seeking part-time work on-site to avoid the city centre. This fear has led many students to question whether Cork is a safe place to study, with some even reconsidering their decision to study in Ireland altogether.
The first student has officially reported the incident to the Gardaí (Irish police), who are currently investigating the case. The second student, however, has chosen not to file an official complaint, though the Gardaí have been informed of the incident. A Garda Press Office spokesperson confirmed that a report of an alleged assault on St Patrick’s Street had been received and that inquiries are ongoing.
Media in Bharat silent on racial attacks
The mainstream media in Bharat on the other hand has conveniently let go of the racial attacks in Ireland on students from our country. They seem to be more focused on Rahul Gandhi’s speeches, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and silly TRP-generating non-issues.
A Google search even does not bring up any results of news reports from Indian media. The media cries foul when it comes to alleged muzzling of the press, however, it does not seem to do a proper job when it comes to reporting news that matters.
It is noteworthy that only Irish media has picked up this news whereas around the world, this racially motivated attack on Bharatiya students has gone largely unnoticed.
