Irish people will have to adapt their sense of national identity to include migrants if we are to integrate immigrants successfully into society, the UN's special rapporteur on racism said yesterday.
Doudou Diene told a gathering at NUI Maynooth that one of the main causes of racism and xenophobia was an identity crisis in communities where large numbers of immigrants have settled.
He said a sense of national identity, which may have been upheld over many generations in countries such as Ireland, can often clash with the changes that come with a more diverse society.
He was speaking before an inaugural lecture on racism, supported by the National Action Plan Against Racism and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism. The lecture was dedicated to John O'Connell, who contributed significantly to combating racism in Ireland. Mr Dien said the rise of racism represented the most serious threat to democratic progress and the creation of multicultural societies.