Racial hatred - One incident of racism is one too many

CONTRARY to the popular view that racism is widespread in this country, the first official statistics suggest the abhorrent practice may be on the decline.

Today's report on figures released by the gardaí shows that while close to 200 racist incidents were recorded in 2002 and 2003, the figure fell to 68 last year.

Thankfully, the judiciary comes down heavily on racism. In one notable case, a judge in Galway handed down a two-month prison sentence to a man who called a Romanian a "f***ing Romanian." Basically, he was jailed for adopting an abusive attitude towards an immigrant. Given Ireland's long history of emigration, and despite the recent influx of immigrants, it is reassuring that the majority of people is willing to adopt an attitude of live-and-let-live towards their new-found neighbours.