At 8 in the morning, the line outside the Speir student pantry at the University of Galway looks quiet and ordinary. Students stand with their bags, some half-asleep, some scrolling through their phones. There are no slogans, no shouting. Just young people waiting for food. But online, that same queue has turned into a heated argument about immigration, visas and who deserves help in Ireland today.

After a media report highlighted the growing demand at the pantry, a photograph of the queue began circulating on social media. Very quickly, the conversation turned ugly. Several social media accounts alleged, without evidence, that over 90% of the students in the queue were Indian nationals. Others argued that international students must show financial self-sufficiency to obtain visas. Because of that, they said, using a food pantry amounted to “gaming the system.”

ALSO READ

How a photo sparked racist comments against Indians in Ireland

The controversy began after a report in The Irish Times covered growing demand at a student-run pantry at the University of Galway. The Speir student pantry, which first started as an environmental project, is now helping students who cannot afford basic groceries. Ireland is facing a deep cost-of-living crisis, and students are feeling the pressure.

According to the report, the pantry distributed nearly €500,000 worth of food last year. Even then, hundreds of students are turned away every week because there simply isn’t enough. Photos showing long queues of students waiting for food were shared online. Soon after, the tone on social media changed.

“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?,” one person chimed in. Another post 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 separate user went even further and wrote, “They loot every service that the country operates using any sort of trust-based system… To them, it’s a lifehack.” Yet another comment claimed, again without any evidence, that “the entire queue… is Indian,” while a self-described “proud Irish man” wrote that “90%+ of them were Indian nationals on student visas.”

The post sparked debate online. Several slammed commentators targeting Indian students. One social media user wrote, “This is ridiculous — students are struggling to survive, not cheat the system.” Another added, “Blaming them for standing in a queue is unfair and xenophobic. Focus on the rents and cost of living instead.” Student groups also weighed in, pointing out that the viral photo captured only a brief moment and did not represent any one nationality.

ALSO READ

Growing worries within the community

The online attacks come after several violent incidents against Indians in Ireland last year. In one case, a 40-year-old Indian man who had just moved to Ireland and worked for Amazon was attacked by a teenage gang in Tallaght, Dublin. He was beaten, stabbed in the face and partially stripped. Authorities looked into the case as a possible hate crime.

Irish national Jennifer Murray, who helped the victim, had said at the time that several Indian men were targeted by the same gang within days, raising fears that this was not random. In another 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.

Last month, the Embassy of Ireland in India acknowledged concerns raised by Indian students but stressed that Ireland remains “safe, inclusive, and welcoming.” It said the Indian community, now more than 100,000 strong, plays a “vital and highly valued role” across different sectors.

What the pantry organisers said

The University of Galway pantry has become a lifeline for many students. Donegal student Adam Mullins, who founded the initiative, told The Irish Times that the “cost-of-living crisis is crazy and it massively impacts us [students].” He said some students have told him they might not be able to stay in college without this help. Students’ union vice-president for education Sean de Burca also warned that food poverty is pushing some students to drop out. A law student named Aly said that without the pantry, there were times she would have had to go hungry just to pay rent. The service, she said, “helps a lot.”