President condemns racists who target Chinese community

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese has strongly condemned the ignorance and stupidity of racists who target members of the Chinese community.

Speaking at a hotel in south Belfast, an area which has seen a spiralling level of attacks on ethnic minorities, the President said that both parts of the island had to face up to the issue of racism.

“Regrettably anybody who looks a little bit different is more likely than not to be right in the eye of the storm of this racism,” she said.

“I hope that between all of us working in dialogue and showing mutual respect that we set an example to those, who in their ignorance and their stupidity, dare to regard any other human being as less than worthy of respect.”

The President who was addressing members of the Belfast Chinese population praised them for doing the honour of paying the people of Ireland the compliment of seeing it as a place where they wanted to make their home.

She added: “How dare anyone ever treat any other human being with less than sacred respect.”

Flanked by Belfast Lord Mayor Tom Eakin and his deputy, Joe O’Donnell, President McAleese praised the Chinese community for bringing their vitality of culture and heritage to Ireland.

She joked that if the Chinese hadn’t brought their wonderful cuisine to Ireland her children would have died of starvation a long time ago.

At 10,000 strong, the Chinese population is the largest and longest established ethnic minority in Northern Ireland.

In recent years it has been increasingly vulnerable to racist attacks particularly in Loyalist areas of Belfast.

This year it was claimed that 40 Chinese families had to flee from south Belfast because of harassment from paramilitaries.

President McAleese, who recently visited the new Chinese administration said she believed it was the culture that was going to drive the world’s economy in the next century. Addressing the audience she said that they would act as ambassadors, educating people here who will never get the opportunity to visit China.

She added: “Northern Ireland and Ireland generally are known around the world and have been known for so long for all the wrong reasons.

“With our peace process now in place, we want to invest in friendship building. We want everybody who comes here to feel welcome.”