When President Clinton launched a programme to tackle racism a few years ago, he pointed to the contradictions on which the United States was built. He stated:

“We were born with a Declaration of Independence, which asserted that all were created equal and a constitution that enshrined slavery. We fought a bloody civil war to abolish slavery and preserve the union, but we remained a house divided and unequal by law for another century. We advanced across the continent in the name of freedom, yet in doing so we pushed Native Americans off their land, often crushing their culture and their livelihood. Our Statue of Liberty welcomes the poor, tired and huddled masses of immigrants to our borders, but each new wave has felt the sting of discrimination.”

Ireland is not the United States; however it is evident that contradictions have also been a feature of Ireland’s recent history.

Despite the long history of emigration from Ireland and the well-documented racism experienced by Irish emigrants, it is only in very recent times that legislation has outlawed similar discrimination and racism in Ireland.

For many years Ireland has been recognised internationally as making an important contribution to aid and education in developing countries, yet at the same time our immigration laws are among the most restrictive in Europe and are currently being revised.

Until recent years, the concern by the State to secure equality of rights for all citizens in Northern Ireland can be contrasted with its hostility, silence or indifference towards the Traveller community during the same period.

Despite these and other contradictions, there has been significant progress in the development of policies and practices to address racism in Ireland over the past ten years. From a position of having virtually no policy 10 years ago, there is now a range of policies in place that provide the basis for effective action – including the enactment of the recent equality legislation and the establishment of the Equality Authority, the on-going work of the NCCRI, the recent launch of the ‘Know Racism’ campaign and the establishment of a Human Rights Commission in Ireland, North and South. The forthcoming national action plan on racism arising out of the World Conference Against Racism in South Africa is a unique opportunity to develop a comprehensive approach to addressing racism in Ireland.

Unfortunately, over the past decade, we have also witnessed a resurgence in racism – and the development of new forms of racism – that challenges any complacency on this issue. It is clear from recent evidence that we need to redouble our efforts to address racism and to promote policies that are inclusive of minority ethnic groups in Ireland.

The NCCRI recently published a report on racist incidents recorded between May and October 2001, which revealed that there has been a sharp increase in racist incidents in the aftermath of September 11th. Over one fifth of the incidents reported related to assaults or incidents of verbal abuse, directed at the Islamic community or those perceived to be from middle-eastern or Asian origin.

The report also identified the growing problem of racism on the Internet; the important role that local politicians and the media have in addressing racism and the Gardai’s role in relation to addressing assaults and harassment were also emphasised.

Anti racism training is a further important component of an overall approach to addressing racism in Ireland and it is to be welcomed that many statutory authorities in partnership with the NCCRI are beginning to develop such training and to think about how their services could be more responsive to the greater diversity that is in our society. However it is clear that much remains to be done.

The role of public awareness programmes such as ‘Know Racism’ can and should make a difference. That such programmes are actively supported by the media and Irish artists sends an important signal that, while tackling racism in the first instance is a responsibility of government, such campaigns can only be successful if they receive widespread support.