Asylum seekers - Racism claim must be investigated

IF the deeply disturbing claims by a black immigrant of his treatment on seeking asylum in Ireland are true, then something is seriously wrong about the way such cases are handled.

The identity of the complainant is known to the Irish Refugee Council, which has vouched for his reliability.

He alleges that when the family arrived at Dublin Airport in December 2001, an immigration official greeted them with the remark: “Oh, God, more jungle bunnies.” When they sought asylum, the reply was: “Don’t give me that crap.” They were told to “crawl back into whatever holes you’ve crawled out of” to “move your black asses” and ordered to leave the country, the complainant says.