The abolition of the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) at the beginning of this month was clearly not because it had succeeded in eliminating poverty.

RACISM against foreign nationals is starting to manifest itself in communities around the country, according to the head of an immigrant support network.

Attacks on Romanian families in Belfast are a haunting reminder of the 1960s when similar thugs engaged in attacks on Catholics, driving them from their homes. That mindless violence had repercussions for the whole island that were to last for decades.

THE former head of the Equality Authority who resigned in protest at cuts in the organisation’s budget has said the country is in an “equality crisis“.

THE 43% cut in the budget of the Equality Authority and the subsequent resignation of its chief executive, Niall Crowley, are a cause of great concern to all of us who believe that equality is one of the necessary means of guarding freedom and democracy in a republic.

MANY of the victims of Government cutbacks have made their voices heard over the past few months and had their grievances taken on board.

THE resignation of Niall Crowley as chief executive of the Equality Authority is a significant setback in the fight for equality and social inclusion in this country.

A new study has found that members of the Travelling community are three times more likely to commit suicide than members of the general population.

THE slashing of 41 State agencies will be a “first installment” in a long term plan of reducing so-called quangos, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said last night.

GARDA numbers will continue to grow under Budget 2009, but the force’s overtime budget is being slashed by up to a third.

SOME migrant communities who “cluster” in certain areas are in danger of becoming segregated from their Irish neighbours, according to a new report.

STUDENTS should be discouraged from wearing veils which cover the face in classes, recommends the Government in uniform guidelines to schools.

Ireland’s education system will be discussed by cross-border government ministers and academics at the Parnell Summer School today.

THE father of a Carlow teenager subjected to racist taunts during a gaelic football match has called on gardaí to investigate increasing attacks.

Travellers are to decide today whether to wage a national campaign demanding ethnic minority recognition.

THE banning of religious symbols such as the Muslim hijab headscarf in schools could damage Ireland’s international image, the Government’s anti-racism agency has warned.

BASIC human rights could be violated if the Government presses ahead with proposed tough new rules on immigration, students claimed yesterday.

Class size, student discipline and pay will be put under the spotlight by hundreds of secondary school teachers later today.

Racial tensions could increase in Ireland as the economy slows down and Irish people compete for jobs with foreign nationals, experts warned today.

The first stamp celebrating cultural diversity in Ireland was launched today.

GARDA bosses have denied racism was behind the decision not to allow a Sikh recruit wear a turban while on duty with the Garda Reserve.

Gardaí tonight defended its rule banning Sikh officers from wearing a turban on duty, claiming the force was not racist but trying to be impartial while providing a state service.

UP TO 70 members of the Roma community who had been living in squalor in Dublin on an M50 roundabout, are due to be repatriated to Romania today.

Since the foundation of the State, this country has been in the relatively stable position of having little or no racial problems, as there was no real immigration.

ASYLUM seekers deserve to have their weekly state allowances more than trebled to €70, according to the Government’s advisory agency on racism.

Chinese students living in Ireland are being racially discriminated against and exploited, it emerged today.

Language difficulties and exploitation in the workplace are among the main problems affecting Polish migrants to Ireland, a new report revealed today.

SIGNIFICANT numbers of Irish people are worried about “future levels” of immigration, in particular the job replacement threat, according to a new survey on racism.

TRAVELLER children must be fully integrated in secondary schools as a matter of urgency, the head of an EU anti-racism body has claimed.

The segregation of Traveller children in the education system must be stopped, a report said today.

The first true indication of the number of Travellers in Ireland could become clear after this weekend’s census.

IN your issue of February 3, an article on the front page, and two others inside, highlighted the growing racist attitudes of the Irish.

A STATE advisory body is seeking the introduction of new laws, including a “hate crime” to combat an upsurge in racist incidents.

SENATOR Mary O’Rourke last night refused to apologise for her contentious comments on blacks, but backed calls for a Government campaign to wipe out racist language in Irish society.

FIANNA FÁIL’S Senator Mary O’Rourke was last night warned to watch the language she used after praising her supporters for “working like blacks”.

LIFE is hard enough for many of the country's 24,000 Travellers without the added insults, a Traveller support group has warned.

MORE than 800 non-nationals have applied to join the gardaí - more than the entire force in Limerick.

A senior member of the state Gaeltacht agency tonight urged the Government not to relax the Irish-language requirement for joining the Garda.

An African-born bus driver today revealed the horrendous litany of racial abuse he has faced on his route around Dublin.

MINISTER for Overseas Development Conor Lenihan is this morning under pressure to meet Gama workers to personally apologise for calling them “kebabs” in the Dáil yesterday.

Gardaí in Dublin are investigating the painting of anti-Semitic graffiti on a number of Jewish properties in south Dublin earlier this week.

MORE people are reporting racist incidents such as verbal abuse or assaults, according to an independent expert body which receives an average of 50 such reports in any six-month period.

A HIGH-LEVEL steering group will ensure the Government’s anti-racism blueprint is implemented, the Taoiseach said yesterday.

THE Government is ignoring the growing racism problem and its own policies are adding to the crisis, according to a damning report which has been sent to the United Nations.