Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Diaspora, Seán Crowe TD, has called on the Government to do more to identify racist incidents and to be more proactive in tackling racism in society.

Crowe made the comments on the UN organised International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“It is important that on this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that we recognise that we all collectively need to do more to tackle the scourge of racism in society.

“The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) has reported that there was a 85% increase in reported racist incidents in 2013.

“While many non-governmental civil society groups are doing great work in encouraging people to report racist incidents and in tackling racism in Ireland, it is important that the Government carries the bulk of the responsibility for bringing about an inclusive society

“Official reporting of racist incidents to the Gardaí and published by the CSO is extremely low compared to Britain, even when adjusted for population differences. In fact the published figures only cover the incidents which ended in an actual criminal conviction

“Mostly it is civil society groups which are encouraging people to report any racist abuse and many state and semi state organisations are poor at identifying and reporting racist incidents.

“We need to agree collectively about what constitutes racism and we need to use best practices to identify and act on those reports

“Ireland has a long history of emigration and we know that as a people we have been the victims of racial abuse. It is important that we all tackle the racism issue head on and ensure that Ireland is an inclusive place that respects all cultures, all races, all creeds, and that we stamp out any discriminate on the basis of a person’s gender, sexuality or skin colour.”

ENDS