State's hate crime awareness campaign in 'planning' stage despite 2023 target launch date

Protesters at the community group Dublin South-West Together (DSWT) anti-racism protest in Tallaght to condemned a vicious racist attack in Kilnamanagh which left an Indian man needing hospital treatment in July. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

A public awareness campaign to tackle hate crime, which was supposed to have started by the end of 2023, is still at the “planning” stage, a government report says.

The national action plan against racism, published in March 2023, recommended that the State carries out a “public education and awareness raising programme” in support of it.

It set a target completion date of the end of 2023, with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth responsible.

The second implementation report on the action plan, which has been published, said the anti-racism unit of the department “began planning a media campaign with the department media unit towards the end of 2024”.

It said this was deferred due to the general election, which was announced in November 2024, along with the programme for government discussions.

“Planning with continue after the transfer of functions process is complete,” it said.

Fear among immigrants

Last April, responsibility for integration and reception was formally transferred to the Department of Justice.

As it stands, it is not clear when the anti-racism public awareness campaign will take place.

The development comes after a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Justice showed that the justice minister was inundated with emails and letters from frightened immigrants in the wake of attacks on, and harassment of, members of the Indian community.

These occurred after an Indian national was attacked by a gang of young teenagers in Tallaght last July, in which he was beaten about the head and stripped of his trousers.

The Department of Justice said the government was “determined to stamp out hate-motivated crimes” and to protect vulnerable communities.

In the Dáil this week, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said that he had recently met with the special rapporteur for racism and racial equality, Ebun Joseph, and her EU equivalent.

He said the special rapporteur’s first annual report on the action plan is expected in the coming weeks.

Mr O’Callaghan said 57 projects had received a total of €2.4m under the Ireland Against Racism Fund since 2023.