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Recent articles by D. Sreenan
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Recent Articles about Ireland / Britain Migration / racismCéad Míle Fáilte*? Racial Profiling in the Ireland Oct 24 13 Soutenir les familles de Dale Farm, arrêter les attaques racistes cont... Oct 12 11 Support the Dale Farm families - Put a marker down to stop the racist ... Oct 11 11 Irish Travellers - Apartheid, Irish Style
ireland / britain |
migration / racism |
opinion / analysis
Wednesday October 23, 2013 21:22 by D. Sreenan - Workers So
In Ireland institutional racism has evolved to come fitted as standard. At the same time the State dithers about making the decision on whether or not to grant Travellers ethnic status. As the Stephen Lawrence family lawyer, Imran Khan stated – when you write laws of the land specifically for a people – it is a sure sign that you recognise them as a specific group when you bring in laws that pertain only to them. So, in Ireland, are Travellers specifically targeted in the Anti-Trespass Act brought in 2002 and Section 24 of the Criminal Justice Act (1994). Irish Travellers - Apartheid, Irish StyleSolidarity is unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards.[1] It refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one. A good barometer of any society is how it treats people who are the most socially disadvantaged. In other words we are talking about people on the edge or on the bottom of this heap. In Ireland we have a pyramid structure which has 1% of individuals at the top owning 34% of the wealth. At the broad base of this triangle we have people who are treated appallingly, who are discriminated against, stigmatized and ultimately written-off before they reach the age of adulthood. People who are never given a chance; many Travellers find themselves here. A sophisticated mechanism has been developed in terms of how the oppression takes place, but it still takes place on a daily basis. This machinery is institutional racism. Institutional racism comes as standardInstitutional racism as a term was popularised by the Macpherson enquiry into the UK police’s handling of Stephen Lawrence’s murder, where it was defined as:“The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people, because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people”.The advantage of this institutional approach is that it depersonalises racism. There is no longer a need to have an ugly scene of an ogre enacting racism in an individual capacity. The scenes exist: witness Minister Phil Hogan’s letter to constituents assuring them that Travellers were not going to be allowed live in the area; or Donegal Fianna Fail Councillor Sean McEniff’s anti-Traveller statements, which no doubt did nothing to discourage a mob who subsequently burned down a Travellers families home there; or the Judge Seamus Hughes last year talking about Traveller men stating “they are like Neanderthal men living in the long grass, abiding by the laws of the jungle.” In Ireland institutional racism has evolved to come fitted as standard. At the same time the State dithers about making the decision on whether or not to grant Travellers ethnic status. As the Stephen Lawrence family lawyer, Imran Khan stated – when you write laws of the land specifically for a people – it is a sure sign that you recognise them as a specific group when you bring in laws that pertain only to them. So, in Ireland, are Travellers specifically targeted in the Anti-Trespass Act brought in 2002 and Section 24 of the Criminal Justice Act (1994). Now the racism that is felt by Travellers from the state can be impersonal, or institutional. Much like the generic term used at Fianna Fail Ard Fhéis ‘Mistakes were made’ – it acknowledges that mistakes were made but it doesn’t tell you by whom, with good reason. Similarly, racism exists, but no-one is responsible for it, least of all those who use institutional routine as a reason not to deliver a service. There are laws stating that appropriate accommodation should be provided for Travellers, but when it does not get delivered, there is a shrug, and no one is responsible. Institutional racism brings with it a message that it’s nothing personal, it is just the way things are. The Discrimination LabReally the case of Irish Travellers and their relationship with this State is like a laboratory for the perfection of discrimination. Marginalization is the first step, the group is excluded from the rest of the population, and removed from being decision makers or having any power in that society. Then the groups close around each other, and an ‘us and them’ mentality develops. Next the stereotyping occurs, quickly followed by some stigmatization, lastly the scape-goating.If we look at the document produced 50 years ago by the State entitled ‘A Commission on Itinerancy’ (“Itinerant” is the state’s word and a reason why it is abhorred by all Travellers as a racial slur) was founded on the basis of looking at the following [1]
The chilling recommendation To which the ITM review responded: It seems extraordinary that the term “final solution” to the “problems created by itinerants” could be used in 1960, in light of the genocide of Jews, Roma and Sinti by Nazi Germany in the very recent past. Could this be simply be complete ignorance of recent history and an unfortunate choice of words? [4]Now let us quickly snap back to the present day. We are now in the era of integration, multiculturalism or interculturalism, depending on who you listen to. Here is Fingal county council official in 2005 “Fingal county council are of the view that the balance of blame with regard to the poor Traveller accommodation provision as it presently stands in the Finglas area lies with the Traveller Community.” Sounds familiar to the Commission’s findings doesn’t it. Travellers are to blame. Here is a local authority, a provider of accommodation, blaming Travellers for that accommodation.
Here is the current Minister of Education on 27th March 2011 in the Dáil: There is a man who has full appreciation of ethnicity, given that there is a long tradition of nomadism amongst Travellers, some might go so far as to contend that it might be the reason for their name. How different is it to the absorption policy? Growing the ties that bind – Building SolidarityThe flag of austerity has been used against Travellers to eliminate specific provisions which were hard fought for by the Traveller movement. The most recent census shows us unemployment running at 84.3%. Cuts to Traveller programs since 2008 are ‘egregious’, with education down 86% and accommodation down 84%, in comparison to the 4.3% average cuts we have seen in Government spending overall. [6] The powerless in society suffer when the powerful need to pay the bills.But unfortunately at a time when there is a desperate need for a vibrant active Travellers movement with links and supports from other committed anti-racist activists, there is little to point to. There are difficulties to be overcome and some of the actions which saw such solidarity develop around the eviction at Dale Farm in Essex, need to be replicated here. “It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home.” [7] I know I’ve lost count of the number of embassies I’ve picketed and demonstrated outside of, but the injustices levelled daily on the Traveller community warrant that we build links and include them as an integral part of the fight against racism here, at home. That is a starting point. Building it around specific actions like the picket on Sean McEniff’s Hotel after his recent comments was a good place to begin. Those links, if they can be, should also be built locally. It would be naïve to pretend that there are not many obstacles in our path, but I think in many ways this is the litmus test for the type of society we wish to create. Anarchism or Barbarism was a headline on one of the WSM papers years ago. Society is rapidly going in one direction and fighting racism on our own block is the obvious step towards building the type of neighbourhood we wish to live in. D. Sreenan
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Front pageThe party is haunting us again [Colombia] Declaración Constitutiva de Acción Libertaria Estudiantil Flora Tristán: precursora del feminismo y de la emancipación proletaria Bil'in - 10 years of persistent joint struggle In solidarity with the NO TAV struggle Wave of arrests in Ireland as state tries to break water charges movement Não se intimidar, não desmobilizar! Toda nossa solidariedade ao companheiro Vicente! After the election of Syriza in Greece - Power is not in Parliament [Chile] Movimiento Estudiantil: ¿En dónde debemos enfocar nuestros esfuerzos? México en llamas: raíces y perspectivas de una lucha que avanza y la crisis de un sistema político No to Golden Dawn in Australia! Abusos y arbitrariedad - retención de JOSÉ A. GUTIÉRREZ, en el bajo Caguán, Caquetá Could a Revolution Happen in the US? An Anarchist Communist Reply to ‘Rojava: An Anarcho-Syndicalist Perspective’ In the Rubble of US Imperialism Elementos da Conjuntura Eleitoral 2014 The experiment of West Kurdistan (Syrian Kurdistan) has proved that people can make changes [Chile] EL FTEM promueve una serie de “jornadas de debate sindical” Ukraine: Interview with a Donetsk anarchist Prisões e mais criminalização marcam o final da Copa do Mundo no Brasil Ireland / Britain | Migration / racism | en Fri 03 Apr, 04:40 WSM remove racist slogans in Cabra, Dublin 18:52 Mon 18 Dec 0 comments Local members of the WSM have removed racist slogans which had been painted along the canal. Immigration and Racism in Ireland 20:39 Tue 10 Oct 0 comments In the last fifteen to twenty years, two new phenomena have finally reached Ireland –Immigration and alongside it - Racism. This is not to say that we Irish never had our prejudices before the ‘blacks’ arrived, back then we were quite happy directing our bigotry and ignorance towards travellers, gays, Jews and Protestants. Afghan Asylum Seekers occupy St Patricks Cathedral in Dublin 23:14 Thu 18 May 0 comments There is a growing crisis in Ireland with the hospitalisation of around 8 of the 41 Afghan Hunger strikers who occupied St Patricks Cathedral on Sunday last. WSM members have been taking part in solidarity vigils and other support work for the 41 Afghan hunger strikers . We support their demand to be allowed to stay in Ireland and we will be taking part in demonstrations and other events over the new few days in support of that demand. Labour party leader Pat Rabbitte turns on migrant workers 18:38 Wed 05 Apr 0 comments The exploitation of migrant workers who are often paid illegally low wages has hit the Irish news many times in recent months. Labour party leader Pat Rabbitte reacted to this explotation by suggesting further controls should be place on migrant workers! Arrests at attempt to block deportations in Dublin 22:31 Thu 20 Oct 1 comments Two people were arrested in Dublin on Tuesday as Residents against Racism activists attempted to block the deportation of 39 people (including fourteen children, 5 of whom were born in Ireland) to Lagos. Nigeria. This account is from Emma a WSM member and RAR activist who was arrested. Man Deported Because Of Garda Brutality Cover up 16:41 Wed 10 Aug 0 comments In the early hours of May 19th Michael Alabi was deported by the Irish State. Michael was resident of a hostel in Lower Gardiner street and was part of a group of Nigerian men who decided to go on hunger strike to protest against the department of Justice's draconian immigration policies. Irish union branch Opposes Tactics Of Deportation Cops 21:41 Tue 09 Aug 0 comments The Dublin City North Branch of the INTO has passed a motion endorsing the call by outgoing union president, Austin Corcoran, that all schools become safe places for all children -to be given the status of embassies. It is hoped that more branches within the union will take up this issue and that by next year's annual congress a campaign will be launched in the union to make this a reality Deported to be Mutilated? 00:57 Sun 03 Jul 0 comments The Irish government is currently trying to deport women and children under the threat of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which frequently results in death. Asylum in Ireland can be sought on grounds of religious or political persecution. However the government refuse to acknowlege FGM as a political act and therefore women and children cannot apply for asylum on the basis they have suffered or will suffer FGM if deported. Solidarity Action for the political seekers Bahoz & Temiz 06:02 Sat 25 Jun 0 comments Solidarity Action with the political asylum seekers Bahoz and Temiz, Friday, 24/06/2005 6pm outside the Greek Consulate, 50 Gogarloch Syke, Edinburgh, EH12 9JB Kurdish Asylum Seeker on Hunger Strike in Greece – close to death. Céad Míle Fáilte*? Racial Profiling in the Ireland Oct 24 1 comments Over the last couple of days we have witnessed massive media hysteria about the case of Maria, a young girl supposedly abducted by a Roma couple in Greece. DNA tests and Lombroso-style racial profiling have come into action in a case that has stirred the irrational anxiety that feeds racism and bigotry. Beyond the fact that child abduction is a serious issue, the "whiteness" and "blondeness" of the alleged victim have been emphasised together with the "Roma" condition of the alleged culprits. Let us remember that this is taking place in Greece, a country where blatant racism (as expressed by Golden Dawn) is on the rise, so there are good reasons to be cautious about this whole case. Support the Dale Farm families - Put a marker down to stop the racist onslaught against Travellers Oct 11 0 comments Dale Farm is a halting site which is also the largest concentration of Irish Travellers in Britain, being home to over 1000 people (about 100 families), many of whom are said to have their cultural roots in Rathkeale in Limerick. It was started in the 1960s when a number of families bought the former scrapyard site and Basildon council granted planning permission for 40 houses. This happened in the context of broad progress in race relations and a brief breeze of relative official tolerance for Travellers, epitomised in the liberal-sponsored 1968 Caravan Sites Act. Basildon Council have put aside an £18 million budget to bulldoze the site and forcefully evict the families (a staggering figure when you consider that in 2010 the total UK budget for providing Travellers with halting facilities was less than 30 million). [Français] Sectarian violence on the streets of East Belfast Jun 22 0 comments
The cracks beneath the surface in the peace process were once again exposed on the streets of East Belfast last night in the second night of serious sectarian rioting. A UVF led mob numbering in the 100's has been engaged in attacks on catholic homes at the edge of the Short Strand. This is the reality of a peace dividend which has failed to deliver to working-class communities and stands in stark contrast to suburbia only 5 miles away which produced golf champion Rory McElroy. Głos jego pana Feb 23 0 comments Rząd robiąc kozła ofiarnego z emigrantów zachęca rasistowskie zbiry The Afghan Hunger strike and immigration in Ireland Aug 29 0 comments The Afghan hunger strike brought into sharp focus the new Ireland into which our country has been transforming over the last 10 years. Our booming economy and relatively high wage levels have drawn many thousands of immigrants into the country in search of a better life here. Much as the Irish once looked to America for the promise of a happier future, so many people from less well off countries now look to Ireland. more >>WSM remove racist slogans in Cabra, Dublin Dec 18 WSM - Jack White branch 0 comments Local members of the WSM have removed racist slogans which had been painted along the canal. |