Status Act has nothing to do with Nally case

AS an NGO working in the area of anti-racism we welcome the cancellation of the potentially very divisive march in Athlone today.

However, we remain concerned about some of the rhetoric used over the course of this week, particularly that which, coming from senior public figures, seemed designed to capitalise on the tragic Nally case in a disturbing and unhelpful way.

During a recent RTÉ ‘Liveline’ programme, Jim Higgins, the Fine Gael MEP, declared the march would be “a wake-up call to Travellers”.