Racism ‘blown up by media’

ENNIS has been portrayed as a racist town in the aftermath of the assault on a Nigerian taxi driver, the mayor of Ennis has claimed.

At the January meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle said the media “blew out of the water” the assault on Batholomew Omoifo.

Last week at Ennis District Court, Azriel Higgins from Ennis was jailed for nine months for the assault on the taxi driver in 2010.

Mr Omoifo told the court Higgins called him a “bastard nigger” before head-butting him.

Cllr Guilfoyle said: “Many persons over the years were assaulted and none of us would support the assault on any person and one blow is too many, but by the time the media got hold on the assault on this man, it turned out to be a lot worse than it was.”

Cllr Brian Meaney had told the meeting that: “I would like the message to go forward that this town council condemns the attack on Mr Omoifo.”

Mr Omoifo said he would address the council if invited to do so. He said he had to speak out. “I had to kick against it and speak openly about it in order to stop it. I had to come out and messages I have received in the past week tell me that Ennis is not alone in Ireland where there is racism.”