A photograph showing students standing in line outside an Irish food bank has sparked a wave of racist abuse on social media, highlighting growing concerns over xenophobia directed at the Indian community in Ireland. Reported by NDTV
The image accompanied an article in The Irish Times about mounting pressure on the Speir student pantry at the University of Galway, which has been struggling to meet rising demand amid Ireland’s deepening cost-of-living crisis.
According to the report, the student-run initiative distributed nearly €500,000 worth of food last year but is still forced to turn away hundreds of students each week due to overwhelming demand.
While the article focused on financial hardship affecting students across the board, attention on social media shifted to a section of the accompanying photograph.
The full image showed students of various racial backgrounds—some seated, others standing—in a queue outside the pantry. However, online users zoomed in on a portion featuring students of South Asian appearance, leading to a barrage of hostile comments targeting Indians.
One X user wrote, "Is it my imagination, but are most, if not all, of the 'students' in that queue foreign? If they are mostly foreign, then perhaps that explains the numbers turning up for free food. In order to study here, aren't foreign students supposed to be able to support themselves?"
Another user posted, "Deport Indians. Stop universities selling places to foreigners. And Irish people who need it can get the services they require."
A third user commented, "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 backlash comes amid reports of rising racial hostility toward Indians in Ireland over the past year, raising fresh concerns about discrimination and online hate directed at migrant communities.
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