Amnesty attacks State anti-racist policies

AN Amnesty International report has questioned the State’s commitment to tackling the problem of institutional racism by claiming there is a “fatal tension” in a key department.

The report, entitled Breaking Down Barriers, has called for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to be released of its equality remit because of its “overriding concerns with its justice agenda”.

It also states that racism against the Traveller community at State level is “clearly evident” because of the Government’s failure to recognise Travellers as a distinct ethnic minority.

Overall, the report raises doubts about the Government’s political will to acknowledge the extent and gravity of institutional racism.

It claims the Department of Justice has demonstrated a “reluctant and minimalist” attitude to adopting anti-racism legislation.

The report which was prepared by the Irish Centre for Human Rights based at NUI Galway on behalf of Amnesty International will be launched later this morning to mark International Day Against Racism.

It claims that Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s public dismissal of the Equality Authority as “a ginger group” for seeking stronger laws offered “a useful insight into how this department may view its own equality brief”.

The report said: “The effective enjoyment of the right to freedom from racial discrimination does not constitute a sufficiently high priority within the Department’s overall policy, programmes and practice.”

It also highlights other areas of concern within other Government departments and recommends comprehensive anti-racism training for all civil servants.

Colm Ó Cuanacháin, secretary general of Amnesty’s Irish section, said that while discrimination by the State is often unintentional, it is no less harmful to its victims. He claimed the lack of official data meant that State discrimination can frequently be “quite subtle and hidden”.

The National Plan Against Racism would be “little more than lip service” if it was not accompanied by adequate accountability and resources, he said.

“Even when the National Action Plan was being formulated, the Government introduced a series of measures that seriously undermined its stated commitment to anti-racism,” he remarked. Mr Ó Cuanacháin claimed recent legislation such as the Immigration Act 2004 effectively allowed “racial profiling”.

While the Government acknowledges that Travellers have their own culture, Amnesty argues that the State’s official view is “merely dressing up its prejudice as fact”.

Many Travellers complained that public bodies seemed to implement policies and plans that attempted to isolate rather than include Travellers in society.