SIPTU has expressed concern at the prevalence of racist incidents as indicated in the first quarterly report from iReport.ie and the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) Ireland, published today (Monday, 16th December). Approximately one racist incident a day is being reported through the iReport system, varying from verbal abuse to physical attacks.SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley, said: “The first quarterly report from iReport.ie and ENAR Ireland is an important stage in exposing the extent of racism in our society. It is of particular concern that two thirds of those reporting racist incidents to the iReport website indicate a reluctance to inform the Garda and action must be taken to overcome this problem.”She added: “Racism has a corrosive effect in communities and workplaces. The best defence against the spread of racist activity is a strong sense of social solidarity which denies space to those who wish to marginalise and abuse people due to their ethnic background.”“SIPTU, which currently has members from just under 50 countries, has a long track record of campaigning against racism. We are only too aware of the damage racism inflicts on all workers by undermining the ability to take action collectively.“The use of the Internet to allow victims and those that witness racist incidents to confidentially report them is an important initiative by ENAR Ireland. Workers should fully utilise this reporting system in order to ensure that the true scale of the problem can be assessed and effective action taken to counter act it.”
SIPTU says social solidarity key to defeating racism
