'Why are Indians here...': Irish varsity's food bank photo triggers furore foreign students’ access 

A photograph of students queuing outside a campus food pantry in Ireland has ignited an online debate — less about student poverty and more about assumptions viewers made from the image.  

The picture accompanied a February 21 report by The Irish Times on mounting pressure at a student-run food bank at the University of Galway. The article described how the service, grappling with rising demand amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis, has been forced to turn away hundreds of students each week.  

Soon after publication, the photograph began circulating widely on X, where some users speculated — without evidence — that many of those in line were Indian nationals on student visas. Posts questioned why international students would access such services, shifting attention away from the broader issue of student hardship.  

 

 

 

One widely shared post claimed that “90%+” of those pictured were Indian students and questioned their ability to support themselves. Another user, referencing visits to London School of Economics and University College London, alleged that free food initiatives there were also dominated by foreign students.  

However, the original report did not identify the nationalities of those in the queue, nor did it attribute the food bank’s shortages to international students. The article instead focused on the growing number of students — across backgrounds — struggling with rent, groceries and energy costs.  

Similar Controversy in Canada  

The debate echoed a separate incident in Canada in April 2024, when an Indian-origin graduate student, Mehul Prajapati, faced backlash after posting a video about using student food banks to cut personal expenses.  

Prajapati, who was pursuing a master’s degree while working as a data scientist at TD Bank, shared a clip describing how he saved “hundreds of bucks” each month by relying on food banks operated by charities, churches and student groups. The video showed bags of groceries including produce and canned goods.  

After the clip went viral, critics online argued that food banks were intended for those in financial distress, not salaried professionals. Social media users circulated posts highlighting his employment and alleged income, fuelling outrage and harassment that reportedly led him to remove his LinkedIn profile.  

Both episodes illustrate how quickly online narratives can form around images or short videos, often detached from the original context. In the Galway case, what began as a report on student poverty evolved into a polarised discussion about immigration and entitlement — despite no evidence linking nationality to the strain on services.