Reporting of racist incidents rose by almost a third in the second half of last year, according to a monitoring group.
Anti-racism group ENAR Ireland received 246 reports of racism, through its iReport.ie website.
However, according to the report, most victims had little confidence that Gardaí would deal effectively with the problem.
The latest @ENARIrl report with @UlsterUni @IRiSS_UU is out today, on International Day against Racism #fightracism https://t.co/DBHWiAwpZj
— Lucy Michael / Luighseach Ní Mhicíl (@drlucymichael) March 21, 2017
The report was published to coincide with International Day Against Racism.
“When racist violence and dehumanising attitudes against minorities are not treated seriously, hate speech from overseas finds fertile ground in Ireland,” Shane OCurry, Director of ENAR Ireland said.
“In terms of our EU and international obligations, Ireland is delinquent in not having hate crime legislation, we need to address this urgently.
“International best practice tells us we also need a coherent vision and strategy in the form of a National Action Plan Against Racism. We call on legislators to provide leadership in shaping the kind of policies which can allow us to live in a Republic that cherishes us all equally.”