Gardaí say there's been a 12% increase in hate crime.
A Nigerian man living in Laois says there's been a definite increase in hate speech on social media.
It follows a report from Gardaí, which found there was a 12% increase in the number of reported hate crimes last year.
Over one in three reports were race related while there were a growing number of reports related to the victim's nationality.
Bolaji Adeyanju is a Local Election Candidate in Portlaoise - he says he thinks a lot of the people involved aren't Irish:
Read more: 12% Rise In Hate Crimes In 2023
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