23 March 2000 Edition

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Dublin radio spreads worldwide anti-racism message

Community radio station NEAR FM, based in Coolock, Dublin, took part in a path breaking 24-hour worldwide radio show, organised by AMARC's `Voices without Frontiers' to mark the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Tuesday, 21 March. The radio show started at 6am in Russia on Tuesday morning, and ended in Australia at 6am Wednesday morning, Irish time.

In a marvellous daylong collection of programmes, NEAR radio broadcast live messages from many of the refugee support groups and anti racism NGOs in Dublin, in a programme which came from the Traveller Centre at Pavee Point, The Vincentian Centre, the Islamic Cultural Centre, speaking with the many people who are refugees and the many people concerned about racial discrimination in today's Ireland.

The day reached its high point with a special broadcast to launch a campaign for an Amnesty for refugees who have come to Ireland. The campaign is being organised by the Association of Nigerian Refugees and Asylum-Seekers, and many people, including TDs Joe Higgins and Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, MEP Patricia McKenna, and spokespeople from many anti racism NGOs, articulated the appalling conditions in which refugees to Ireland are placed, the growing racism they encounter, carefully fostered by government policies and statements which fill the media daily, kite flying government `thinking' on what they are going to do with what they continuous refer to as the `flood of illegal immigrants'. (Refugees are not illegal. Not yet anyway).

Dr. Brian Fanning from UCD called the so called `dispersal policy' a perfect example of the government's ad-hocery'.

Vouchers, in place of cash maintenance payments from Social Welfare are coming in April. Access to legal advice and to the courts has been severely restricted, if not, in practice cut off, to refugees.

Refugees also suffer the discriminatory practice of receiving `comfort money' of £15 per week, instead of their legal entitlement to welfare payments, whilst they remain without means of support.

Twenty-Six County Justice Minister John O'Donoghue took the opportunity of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to take part in a photo opportunity and sound byte, at the launch of Sport Against Racism in Ireland's school pack to announce across the media that talk of `flotels', `canvas pavilions', receptions centres, `detention camps', and `integration centres', didn't emerge from him and he and the government were, of course, all quite against these ideas.

 

Promoting racial equality



A report was launched in Belfast on Tuesday 21 March to mark the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The report, titled ``Developing a North/South Agenda for Anti-Racism and Racial Equality Strategies'', is a joint venture by the Equality Commission for the North and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI), outlines recent progress in the development of legislative and anti-racism strategies to address racism in Ireland.

The publication marks the development of a North/South agenda to address racism and arises out of a round table conference involving government and non-governmental bodies from both the Six and 26 Counties.

The report shows that cultural diversity is beginning to be recognised and accepted in Ireland. New figures show that the largest ethnic groups in the 26 Counties are Irish Travellers, with an estimated 22,000 people and in the Six Counties the Chinese community, with about 8,000 people. In the 26 Counties, the range of different nationalities seeking asylum, from 140 countries, has contributed to a growing diversity.

Joan Harbison, Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission, said at the launch: ``The climate for developing an agenda for future cross-border cooperation to promote racial equality is born of a number of factors, which includes increased recognition of cultural diversity and racism. Activity in the community sector and the development of partnerships in working towards an inclusive society have contributed to a new confidence in promoting racial issues.

``We in the Equality Commission are anxious that the commitments made in the Good Friday Agreement will be fulfilled and that a broad and inclusive equality agenda, promoting the rights of all to fair participation, will emerge.''


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