Racist attitudes towards Travellers must be dealt with urgently

IN 1869, not long after the American Civil War, Philip Sheridan, a US army general, was heard to remark: “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.”

There are many people in this country who feel that way about Travellers and the decision yesterday to acquit Padraig Nally of the manslaughter of John ‘Frog’ Ward is likely to feed a frenzy of prejudice and bigotry against an already maligned ethnic minority.

There is a tacit acceptance of prejudice against Travellers, a fact of life in Irish society. It is as ugly and vicious as the racism which prevailed against American Indians, Africans and the Irish abroad. It is, in fact, nothing short of racism.