Assuming motives is a risky business, particularly when it comes to the hot-button issue of racism. By now, you’ve probably watched the horrible video of a white teenager being stabbed by a black teenager in Carrigaline, Co. Cork over the weekend. Although the media have so far been loathe to describe anyone involved, presumably because […]
I suspect this may come as somewhat of a surprise to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, but apparently the members of his force are guilty of engaging in systemic, daily acts of “micro-aggressions” against people of colour. It will certainly come as a surprise to The Garda National Diversity & Integration Unit, which forms part of […]
To be fair to Amnesty Ireland, it’s possible that their very essence has never been more purely distilled than it is in a line in their latest video: “discrimination can be disguised as jokes or political opinion”: 5 ways you can call out racism related to the #coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/YS0YR9ha2K — Amnesty Ireland (@AmnestyIreland) March 12, […]
Dublin’s media and political establishment always has the same explanation, when these things happen. The Department of Justice, without any consultation, or forewarning, has announced a migrant accommodation centre for a relatively small rural town. Local people are upset by it. Some politicians have spoken out. It is clear that there will be some opposition. […]
Charles Moore notes that actor Laurence Fox, ‘who shot to fame in political debate last week after neatly repelling claims on the BBC’s Question Time that criticisms of the Duchess of Sussex are racist, has identified this as the central false doctrine. Don’t automatically believe, he says. Instead you should “listen to the victim”, and […]
Several stories in recent weeks have brought a new focus on what equality activists call ‘covert racism’. The opposite of overt racism. Meghan Markle was certainly subjected to overt, racial slurs on social media but according to some of her defenders it was the covert racism from mainline media and broadcasting that made life impossible […]
This is the kind of thing now that Mary Lou McDonald would be hopping mad about, if it was said by someone in any other party, but because it was a Sinn Fein Councillor, she’ll stay nice and quiet. One rule for the likes of you, another for party members in good standing, like Councillor […]
A prominent academic and media commentator has accused a Galway hotel of racism after she was served the wrong drink. This week saw Dr Ebun Joseph, who is the module coordinator for the first Black Studies focused module in Ireland, take to Twitter to let the public know that she had been a victim of […]
Dr. Ebun Joseph is a Career Development Consultant at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, but also a prominent campaigner against racism, describing herself as “a race relations consultant, Career specialist & Life Coach who addresses Social Justice issues and advocates for equality.” If you’re one of those people who regularly listens to Irish […]
What a difference a year makes. Here’s the Irish Times’ own Kitty Holland, almost exactly one year ago, approvingly reporting on proposals to introduce a hate speech law: And here’s the Irish Times’ own Kitty Holland an hour ago, reacting to the news that that nice Mr. Corbyn had not achieved a majority for socialism […]
The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has had several decades of bad press, and scandals, which have resulted in widespread public alienation and falling mass attendances. Those who have kept faith with it during these hard decades cannot be accused of swimming with the cultural, or political tides. The Church in Ireland is resolutely on […]
Before we get in to the rights and wrongs of this, it’s worth looking at what the state’s equality commission believes is a racist comment: “It points to recent examples which have caused it concern, including ….. Galway West TD Noel Grealish’s description of refugees from Africa as “economic migrants” seeking to “sponge off the system here in […]