Racist abuse incident serves as wake-up call

THE recent award of €20,000 to ‘Mr C’ for non-stop discrimination in his workplace should serve as a wake-up call. This was no ordinary workplace banter, but taunts about this man’s British nationality, his soccer team (probably by louts who support British teams themselves) and the singing of rebel songs of an IRA variety.

I know we will hear from people who bang on about the past, but we are in a new dispensation following the Good Friday Agreement, and if this kind of abuse was meted out to people from any other country except Britain, there would be an outcry.

I feel it is an opportune time to examine the relationship between our two islands. While at an official level things were never better, on the ground it is different.

And have you noticed how the old rebel songs have resurfaced? When the IRA was killing people it was not fashionable to play or sing them, but since the slaughter stopped they are fashionable again. Thank God we are living in an age of equality and such conduct is no longer acceptable.

Brendan Cafferty

Creggs Road

Ballina

Co Mayo