Many years ago, I arrived home to Cork on the car ferry from Swansea. My daughter was only two or three at the time, so it wasn’t today or yesterday. As we were getting off the ship, we came down a flight of stairs but there was a slight hold-up, so we were all bunched together, quietly waiting for something to happen.
I was holding my daughter in my arms and she was looking back over my shoulder. Suddenly she started poking me in the neck with her finger and in a voice loud enough to break the silence and attract the attention of everyone around us she said; “Daddy, look at him”. She was pointing to someone behind me.
I turned around and I saw a black face with two rows of pearly white teeth smiling back at me. I was mortified. While everyone else found it hilarious, I was embarrassed, and I apologised to the guy, but he was too busy laughing to care about my predicament. It must have been the first time that she had seen a black face or at least been that close to one and he obviously realised that too.
These days we have a multi-cultural society. We engage with people of all nationalities, colour and creed on a daily basis without batting an eyelid. We hear many different languages being spoken on the streets in every town and village in the country and we take no notice because it’s become the new norm.
I go out and about regularly with my grandson and we often go down to the Heritage Centre in Cobh during the summer when the liners are in and we have an ice cream and watch the world go by. Unlike his mother, Cooper has never embarrassed me by pointing at someone different. This is his world, it’s what he knows, and nothing surprises him. That’s how it should be.
Except of course, it isn’t and there will always be those with issues. Some people are just so full of hate and anger that they can’t help themselves and they are always ready to offend someone.
Recently, there was an incident during a football match between Manchester City and Chelsea involving the Jamaican footballer Raheem Sterling, who claimed that he was racially abused when he went to retrieve the ball by the corner flag. I don’t know what was said to him but on the TV footage, you can clearly see a group of men shouting and gesturing furiously at him.
They are not youngsters either. They are grown men, adults, who should know better. Regardless of what they said, I don’t understand why middle-aged men would go to a sporting event and then treat one of the participants with such abuse. But it happens.
There was a story I read some time ago about a youngster who was experiencing racial abuse here. Joella Dhlamini, a sixteen-year-old girl, living in Drogheda, is originally from South Africa but moved to Ireland when she was 13 years old. She was in the news because she won a competition after writing an essay about racism.
She wrote about being a victim of violent crime in South Africa and her experience of dealing with racism since she arrived in Ireland. She said she was walking through the city centre in Dublin one day when someone just spat in her face and called her the ‘n’ word and then walked off. She said she cried because the person was an adult.
There was plenty of support for her on the Internet and people were demanding that the police, the Government or somebody else, should take action.
That’s a bit of a cop out because racism is a cause that can be championed by every citizen. It’s not enough to witness a racist incident and point the finger of responsibility at someone else. Any individual who wants to make a dent in racism is free to do so and I’ll tell you how.
The Macpherson Report defines a racist incident as “any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person”. It’s a broad definition that covers a multitude and it basically means that the victim of the racist incident does not have to be the person making a complaint. Anybody who witnesses it can also take issue with it and they shouldn’t be afraid to do so.
Racism is a reality for some people living in Ireland but how serious the problem is, is difficult to determine. Many types of racist incidents are not specifically catered for under Irish law, so they are more usually recorded as offences under the Public Order Act.
Offenders have often been prosecuted in court under the Public Order Act for insulting or abusive comments made towards non-Irish nationals. These wouldn’t necessarily be recorded as convictions for racist offences even though, in many cases, that’s exactly what they were.
If this seems a bit complicated, then that’s because it is. Unlike other jurisdictions, there is no specific offence in our criminal justice system to deal with racially motivated offences. There is a crime of incitement to hatred but that takes things to a different level and requires the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions to take to court.
But that shouldn’t stop anyone from getting involved. It’s not difficult, it just involves making a complaint to the gardai. It may also involve a court appearance to give evidence before a judge.
That can’t be done on social media, so those who demand action from everyone else will have to put their outrage where their mouths are. That would have a definite impact on racist incidents but might just be just a step too far for the armchair critics.
Very good piece. Reminds me of a quote from Edmond Burke who opposed cruelty and violence. ‘All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing’.
Apart from assisting others if we see a racist incident we should also try to correct those we hear blaming problems like unemployment or lack of housing on emigrants or refugees. We should do this politely and be careful if it is someone we don’t know. If it is a friend or colleague we can be more forceful.
Edmond Burke was born near Killavullen and he was related to Nano Nagle’s family.
Very true Dave, thanks for the comment.