A racist environment was being created by disinformation and the non-reporting of attacks by frightened individuals, an Amnesty students' meeting was told last night.
Mr Philip Watt, Director of the National Consultative Committee on Racism, and Garda Sgt David McInerney, of the Garda Racial and Intercultural Unit, addressed the meeting at TCD, only days after the killing of a Chinese man in Dublin.
Mr Watt said they were concerned about the level of deliberate misinformation being given by certain individuals about refugees and asylum-seekers.
"I am concerned that this misinformation has contributed to an environment of physical and verbal racists attacks," he said. "Potentially this sort of misinformation does demonise groups."
There were people who believed the misinformation, he said. There had also been an increase in racist graffiti reported to them. Mr Watt referred to the attack in which a young Chinese man was killed. He said there were strong indications there was a racial element.
The sort of misinformation he was talking about was, for example, that asylum-seekers were entitled to social welfare benefits over and above those received by Irish people. This was absolutely wrong. They were entitled to £15 per week and £7.50 per child. They were also entitled to exceptional needs payments.
The issue of non-national babies being born in hospitals was another example. An Immigration Controls Platform leaflet had said 38 per cent of babies born in the Rotunda hospital were to non-nationals. This was rubbish, and had been rejected by the hospital, he said.
He appealed to the political parties in the run-up to the general election to ensure that the principles of the anti-racist protocol were followed through.
"There is a tendency for the racist card to be played at election time," he said.
Garda Sgt McInerney stressed that racist abuse and threats were an offence. "I would say to anybody who has received abuse, however minor, to report it to us. If they feel threatened or abused they must come to us," he said.
It was the only way the Garda was going to find out about the level of racism. "Many non-nationals are afraid to report racist attacks, even beatings," he said.
Some people had a bad feeling about the police because of experiences in their own countries.