Nigerian diplomat critical of ‘political silence’ on racism

A NIGERIAN diplomat has broken with long-established protocol to criticise the Government’s lack of leadership on the issue of growing racism in Ireland.

Dr Georges O Alabi, the deputy head of mission at the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin, made the unprecedented attack during a press conference organised following several recent violent attacks on immigrants, including the fatal assault on a Nigerian taxi driver in Dublin earlier this week.

Dr Alabi said he felt the need to speak out on the subject because he could not ignore the welfare of Nigerians and other Africans living in Ireland.

“I’m foreign office. I should not comment,” he acknowledged.

Dr Alabi said he and his family had personally experienced the stark reality of racism, with people repeatedly phoning his house and calling them “niggers”.

“We just need to do more in the area of political leadership,” he said. “The silence is too much.”

Dr Alabi said his driver suffered racist abuse recently after temporarily parking in a disabled parking space. The diplomat said he was also shocked by the reaction of an employee of a “flagship” newspaper to the incident.

He cited a number of recent violent racist attacks, including regular harassment and assaults on black taxi drivers in Cork.

The press conference, which was attended by representatives of a number of organisations working with migrants, heard that many foreigners living in Ireland were under siege.

“There is a widespread regime of verbal, physical and psychological attacks on immigrants and black Africans in particular,” said Chinedu Onyejelem, the editor of Metro Éireann, who called on the Government to live up to its responsibility to protect all residents and to introduce strong measures to end racism in Ireland.

He claimed various media organisations also need to do more to highlight the growing problem of racist attacks.

Clement Esebamen of the Ireland-West African Business Association said the pretence that racism did not exist in Ireland was “unfortunate”.

Mr Esebamen said he felt strongly that people take their cue from political leaders and there was a need for politicians and other state organisations such as the gardaí to tackle the problem more openly.

“We need to liken racist violence to terrorism,” he said.

Salome Mbugua of the African Women’s Network also accused political leaders of being “too quiet” and expressed concern at the failure of bystanders to react during an incident in Cork last September when a black woman was attacked and beaten while on her way to collect her children from school.

Eric Yao of the African Centre stressed that while Ireland was not a racist country, people needed to realise that racist incidents do take place.

Mr Yao criticised Fine Gael’s response to controversial comments by its councillor Darren Scully earlier this week after he was forced to resign as mayor of Naas over comments that he would no longer represent his black constituents.