Are the Indian students so poor? Some Irish people shared the picture and made fun of racism. Who is responsible, the Indian agents who ate money and became rich?

Are the Indian students so poor? Some Irish people shared the picture and made fun of racism. Who is responsible, the Indian agents who ate money and became rich?

On February 21, the Irish Times published an article about the food bank at Galway University being forced to turn away hundreds of students a week due to food shortages. The article was accompanied by a photograph that later sparked a controversy online. The article was published by the Irish Times, a leading Irish newspaper. 

But the image of Desi students queuing at an Irish university food bank is now causing outrage among the Irish (some racist) public: 'Who's giving them visas?' asks social posts with racism in mind.

What is a food bank?

Galway University, located in Galway city, is one of the oldest and largest universities in Ireland. According to its website, it has a large Indian student community, mostly pursuing postgraduate degrees. A student-run food bank is being forced to turn away hundreds of students every week due to a lack of food, according to an Irish Times article. The food bank is now in greater need as the cost of living crisis worsens.

But the image has sparked a heated debate about why foreign students, perhaps from elite backgrounds, should benefit from benefits offered to support the disadvantaged in Ireland.

"The Irish Times published an article yesterday about students being turned away from the Galway University Food Bank. Over 90% of them were Indian nationals on student visas. Why are Indians in Ireland if they can't feed themselves, or is it a scam to save money," a post on X quipped.

What is the reason? 

The picture showed students standing in line at the food bank, but it seemed that most of the queue was made up of desi (Indian) students.

Concerns have been raised about international students at County Galway University in Ireland using food bank resources during the crisis. However, it is worth noting that the Irish Times article did not say anything to suggest that Indian students were responsible for the food bank running out of food. There was no indication that Indian students were the only ones in the queue, but that did not stop the internet from drawing its own conclusions.

The picture was widely circulated on the social media platform X, and many Irish people who keep the racism in mind have accused the Indian students of cheating the system on social media. The only posts of these groups on social media are always criticizing the Indian community who keep the racism in mind. Moreover, the discrimination against immigrants is still a secret agenda of most politicians. Therefore, they never react against it. 

To some extent, the recruiters who make lucrative promises of setting up offices in India and recruiting people and bring money to their parents and children are also responsible. Somehow they reach Ireland, but after that, "no service", no one knows how they live.

Most people in Ireland don't know that Indian students are not poor, they come here after paying fees that are three times higher than those in Ireland and other European countries. The department that brings them here doesn't bother to tell them that. They bring them here and make them suffer. That's it.

Then the children are forced to work as slaves in shops and homes run by Indians to earn money. They look after the children. They eat the food they get. Then where will they save to pay off their loans in the country? They will have to be content with free food or many other things that are available in many places. After they are brought here, the Irish government that brought them here by running a campaign will not look back, and if they complain, neither the Irish departments nor the Irish authorities nor the Indian embassy will look back.

The students are afraid and do not speak out. Only those who complain are silenced in various ways. Their perception is that they will become the butt of some Irish politician and most agents will not be afraid anymore. So, without a complaint, the case is irrelevant. Then they will continue to be ridiculed in society. Some will be harsh in their actions, some will learn from this, others will retreat, and some will move forward. That's it.