The Anti-Racism Net-work (ARN) celebrates its first year of operation this month. Founded in August 2010 to form a voluntary network of activists and groups, one of its founders, Luke Bukha, told Metro Éireann its aim is to “complement” the work of existing NGOs in the immigrant sphere.
Since forming, the group has held monthly discussion meetings and formed an active online presence – accumulating over 1,300 Facebook friends, for example.
The ARN describes itself as an “activist group that fights against racism”, and its literature says it intends “to bring together a broadly based anti-racism network that supports migrants’ rights and fights against racism”.
Yet, like Residents Against Racism, with which it works closely, the ARN is most prominent in its protests against deportations and stated flaws in the refugee application system.
According to Bukha, it also believes in open borders, and the Zimbabwean-born Irish citizen insisted that such activities fall under the group’s remit.
He said issues surrounding deportation and refugee applications are often accompanied by “racist rhetoric” and that there had been many reports of deportees being subjected to “racial insults”.
Asked if, in theory, the ARN believes that a deportation system should be in operation, he said: “We believe there is no need to deport people.”
He also criticised the low rate of asylum applications that are granted and said the UN Convention definition of a refugee is “not as broad as it should be”, and that the current system “makes people lie”.
Figures released in March by the EU Commission showed that Ireland granted refugee status in first instance to 25 out of 1,600 applicants last year – the highest rejection rate in the EU.
The Department of Justice subsequently contended that Irish figures differed from most EU member states as Ireland doesn’t operate a single procedure for finalising refugee applications, unlike many other EU countries.
