Racist attacks by young people in Ireland 'a national crisis', says special rapporteur

People take part in a silent assembly for migrant workers and their families outside the Department of the Taoiseach in Dublin on Wednesday following the recent attacks on members of the Indian community. Picture: PA

Racist attacks in Ireland have intensified in recent months, with teenagers and young people perpetrating the majority of incidents, the special rapporteur on racial equality has said.

Dr Ebun Joseph, chief executive of the Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies, who is also the special rapporteur for the National Plan Against Racism, said that a rise in incidents of crime involving members of minority communities is becoming a national crisis.