All Different All Equal All Exploited
Ireland is a country which has sent hundreds of =
thousands of people abroad to seek to better their lives. =
In the 1980's politicians positively encouraged the =
young people of Ireland to get out and get jobs =
somewhere else. Dick Spring hosted a conference in =
the Department of Foreign Affairs which sought to =
give students practical advice on how to leave the =
country. Now, when faced with the prospect of people =
coming to our country seeking to do the same thing, =
some Irish people are reacting in racist ways.
This is not new in a Country where Travellers have =
been abused, threatened, exposed to racist policies and =
attitudes and largely treated as second class citizens =
since the origins of this state. Refugees face a daily =
barrage of abuse and some even endure physical attacks =
in this city. The land of a hundred thousand welcomes =
has rapidly become the land of a thousands of shouts of =
abuse at refugees. We must fight this attitude which is =
growing in our society with some considerable help =
from the politicians and the media.
The facts
In a welcome change from some media sources, let us =
deal with the facts.
1. Ireland takes in a tiny number of refugees every year, =
especially in comparison to other European countries.
2. Refugees are entitled to the same social welfare =
payments.
3. They are not housed any faster than any other =
section of society.
4. They are not entitled to work or study while they =
apply to be allowed stay in this country.
5. Many are escaping severe political and economic =
persecution in their own countries and they have =
come here to seek a better existence, or in some cases =
just the right to exist.
What Do We Do together ?
A broad group of people came together after the =
general election to try and fight the growing trend of =
racism which was adopted by the main political =
establishment. We called ourselves the Anti-Racist =
Campaign (ARC) and we intend to work alongside =
refugees to counteract racism in this city and country. =
We have no time for those who wish to discriminate =
against a person on the basis of the colour of their skin =
or where they come from. We will challenge those =
who are openly racist and especially those who =
flaunted this fact in order to get elected. We wish =
people to know the truth about the terrible ordeals =
which people have gone though to be here. The truth =
is in the story of the refugee's and not to be found on =
the pages of Tony O' Reilly's newspapers or on the =
radio airwaves. ARC wish to fight racism and to =
celebrate multiculturalism. Just as the world gained =
from the massive diaspora of Irish people into it, so =
Ireland can gain so much from the trickle of people =
being allowed to stay here.
Divide and Rule is the Tactic !
The politicians in the last government signed 500 =
deportation orders against Romanians on the day of =
the general election. They did not want to be perceived =
as weak when it came to dealing with immigrants. =
They were and are as racist as Liam Lawlor (FF) was in =
his campaign. The media made this into an issue in =
the election. It (proved) an effective tactic (for diverting =
attention away from their failure to do much about =
poverty, unemployment or heroin abuse)
We are living in the capital city of a country =
experiencing a huge economic upturn. We are all sick =
of hearing about the Celtic Tiger but the heart of that =
tiger is sick with the problems which have failed to go =
away.
=80 Over 250,000 people still on the dole.
=80 Huge amounts of young kids in the city becoming =
hooked on heroin.
=80 A growing number of people becoming homeless.
=80 Those who are lucky enough to be in work are =
bearing a huge amount of the tax burden while the rich =
seem to get a tax amnesty every 3 years.
=80 Companies in Ireland are declaring huge profits and =
our public services are going down the drain =
simultaneously.
How many of these issues were dealt with in the =
election ?
No, instead we heard about making the streets secure =
and about who would deal with the influx of refugees. =
The oldest trick in the book was being played, DIVIDE =
and RULE. A new government will come into power =
and they are happy to continue on trundling along and =
not dealing with the real issues. ARC is here to make =
sure that we stop the fighting amongst ourselves. WE =
ARE ALL DIFFERENT, ALL EQUAL AND ALL =
EXPLOITED. We must stop the racism and begin to =
make the politicians deal with the poverty and =
inequality in this society. Help us in this Fight.
ARC meets ever Wedensday in the =
Garden of Delight, 3 Castle st
We will be leafletting at the GPO this Saturday 28 June at 12:00
-- =
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() Struggle in Ireland http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4716
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