Concern grows at risk of racial violence spreading to Ireland

THE black child had been in the north Dublin school for only a few months last year when the schoolboys pounced on him. They stripped him naked. They wanted to see how a black boy looked.

Ten years ago, Julian Baldwin, now chairman of the group named Harmony, was called "nigger" by a teacher at a his school in Dublin. Last year a group of people threw money at a black woman and her children. They said it was pennies for the black babies.

This kind of incident is common when you are black in Ireland, according to a black tailor in Dublin's Middle Abbey Street, Mr Jude Hughes; more common than most people realise, he said.

He grew up in industrial schools in Ireland without knowing who is parents were.

"Because you are coloured, everyone makes a fuss of you. It's like being a novelty and you get thrown by that and you think everybody loves you. And this is a falseness that hits you, eventually, when you grow up," said Mr Hughes.

Violent racist attacks of the kind happening in England, France and Germany have not happened in Ireland. However, since Christmas graffiti have been appearing on walls around Dublin telling blacks to get out of Ireland. Many blacks and foreign nationals are worried that some people in Ireland may try to emulate violent racists in the rest of Europe.

About 10 days ago, the door locks in the Phibsboro pharmacy owned by Mr Ranjith Lalloo were glued.

A South African of Indian origin, he thought it standard malicious behaviour. According to gardai, young vandals regularly glue locks. But Mr Lalloo became more worried when, four days later, his son received a telephone call at three in the morning. The caller said, "Pakis get out or we will burn you in your beds."

"You get the odd fellow calling you a nigger - so what? The Irish were called "dirty Irish" and told `No dogs. No Irish'."

But, Mr Lalloo said, that is different to getting a telephone call in the middle of the night saying, "Pakis get out or we shall burn you in your beds. That is hate," he said. He has been in Ireland over 30 years.

Irish people have been so nice to me and I did my best to give my services to them. Ninety-nine point nine per cent of them are beautiful people and it just takes a couple of idiots to reverse the situation. It could escalate into something quite sinister and we just have to nip it in the bud," he said.

According to a publication from the National Youth Council on racism and intolerance in Ireland, about 1 per cent of the Irish population belongs to a minority community. The report says there are some 20,000 black people in Ireland and adds that the term black refers, in the broadest sense, to Asian, African and Middle Eastern people. It says there are 1,800 Jewish people and 22,000 travelling people.

A senior lecturer in sociology at Maynooth, Dr Micheal MacGreil, has studied prejudice and tolerance in Ireland for the past 30 years.

A new study, Prejudice in Ireland Revisited - due for publication in April - finds that there has actually been a substantial decrease in racial prejudice.

"But like in the rest of western Europe, there is a slight increase in ethnic prejudice - that is prejudice based on nationality culture, religion and politics and there is a very disturbing increase in the prejudice against travellers," said Dr MacGreil.

Dublin has the lowest rate of urban racist violence in Europe but according to the Irish Refugee Council, it is growing. Mr Gary Quinn said the council was receiving more regular reports of foreign nationals being beaten up on the street and, if left unchecked, this, would reach the extreme levels of other European countries.

According to Anti Fascist Action, there is no organised fascism in Ireland at present but the group is investigating reports that a small neo Nazi group may be behind the graffiti in Phibsboro. Gardai discount this and say it is more likely the work of unruly youths.

Mr Hughes said that Ireland still had to learn to deal with different races and colours. Ireland, as a member of the EU, would see more blacks settling here and they would learn to cope. The alternative was to close its borders and "live in a cocoon".

Mr Muhammad O'Connor of the Islamic Centre said his community was trying to avoid the problems encountered in England and France by encouraging greater contact between the communities.

"But I really do not think there is much danger because if an extreme right wing group did form here there would be little support. Irish people are too conscious of discrimination. They are too aware of it from Northern Ireland to become involved in that," Mr O'Connor said.