Caleb, a black bus driver, experienced three racist incidents earlier this year. In 2010 he was a victim of about two racist incidents per week. Bus passengers have harassed him with racial slurs including “black bastard” and “black monkey”, all while on the job.
Caleb’s story was just one case study featured in the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) report titled Taking Racism Seriously: Migrants’ Experiences of Violence, Harassment and Anti-Social Behaviour in the Dublin Area.
Similar instances are all too common in Ireland. Many of the participants experienced racial discrimination and harassment in their neighbourhoods, jobs, schools and overall, daily life.
According to the report, a 2009 survey undertaken by Gallup on behalf of the EU’s Agency for Fundamental Rights (Fra) found that 73 per cent of black African respondents in Ireland thought racial discrimination was an epidemic in the State.
“Unfortunately, this report shows migrants in Ireland – particularly those of African origin – are subjected to high levels of racist abuse, with many migrants experiencing racism on a daily basis,” said ICI chief executive Denise Charlton in a press release.
Another EU report found that 76 per cent of black respondents in Ireland did not report their experiences of discrimination to the relevant authorities. Much evidence suggests that blacks are discriminated against more than any other ethnic group living in Ireland.
Although the number of participants who contributed to the report represents a small proportion of Ireland's migrant communities, the ICI report urges that “society needs to start taking this issue seriously” and concludes that “racism is all too real in 21st century Ireland”.
The report also details incidents of assault and discrimination so severe that families were practically forced out of their homes. This, along with many complaints of racism and discrimination made to the council, prompted the report's publication, said Brian Killoran, information and referral co-ordinator at the ICI.
“We were not surprised with the findings, but we were extremely saddened,” he said.
The report outlines that many migrants are not aware of the resources available to them; do not think the situation will be dealt with seriously or fairly; or have experienced negative outcomes when they did report the incident – and suggests such perceptions are warranted.
Hate crimes are not recognised by any specific legislation under Irish law. Although An Garda Síochána acknowledges and records them, the Irish criminal system clumps similar offences together under a various acts of law without regards to its motivation.
The ICI report states: “In this context, there may be little motivation to focus on racism in the investigation of offences as doing so is unlikely to affect the outcome of a prosecution.”
A representative from An Garda Síochána was scheduled to give a response to the report’s findings at the launch event on 4 October, but none was in attendance. Gardaí apologised on the evening prior that no one would be able to attend, but no reason was received as to why by press time.
The Garda had significant input into the ICI report: they made suggestions and comments on various drafts, many of which made their way to the final version.
“We were very surprised that no one came on the day of the launch,” said Killoran. “The Garda was very keen on working with us and wanted to help fight against racism and discrimination.
“It was a chance for the Garda to show that they take racism seriously," he added. "Many people at the event commented that it was an opportunity missed, but the Garda was very positive during the whole process, and we will continue to engage with them and work with them in the future.”
Despite this absence, the launch event was an overall success. “It was a good start to an ongoing conversation,” said Killoran.
