Ireland ‘among worst’ for racism

IRELAND ranks among the worst countries in Europe in terms of discrimination against ethnic minorities from sub-Saharan Africa, a European report has revealed.

The Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) surveyed more than 23,000 people from ethnic minority and immigrant groups about their experiences of discrimination, racist crime, and policing in the EU. Members of the Roma people said they suffered more discrimination across the whole of Europe, but in Ireland sub-Saharan Africans were more likely to be discriminated against.

According to the report: “Looking at a breakdown of the results according to specific groups in member states, the ‘top 10’ experiencing the highest levels of discrimination over a 10-month period were, in descending order: Roma in the Czech Republic (64%); Africans in Malta (63%); Roma in Hungary (62%); Roma in Poland (59%); Roma in Greece (55%); Sub-Saharan Africans in Ireland (54%); north Africans in Italy (52%); Somalis in Finland (47%); Somalis in Denmark (46%), and Brazilians in Portugal (44%).”