AN ANTI-RACISM campaign on Dublin’s public transport is to be highlighted as an example for London, Berlin, Paris and other European cities.
Last week the Immigrant Council of Ireland briefed EU Justice Ministers during a special conference in Rome on how the campaign on Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Luas has led to an increase of 55 per cent in racism reports since the start of 2014.
A total of 192 incidents have been reported since the beginning of the year and the Immigrant Council say the message is finally getting through that the first step to ending racism is to end complacency.
Integration Manager with the Immigrant Council, Brian Killoran, believes Dublin has
taken a lead in Europe with the anti-racism awareness campaign.
“It’s a credit to all involved that the EU is now highlighting it as a blueprint for others to follow,
? he said.
The aim of the campaign, on buses, trains and trams during March and April over the
past two years has been to encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses racism to come forward.
The campaign’s message
‘There Is No Room On Board for Racism’ that has featured on Luas and DART will soon appear on London’s Tubes and the Metro in Paris.
Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council, Denise Charlton, said:
“Our partnership with public transport and Dublin City Council has been a success in that both victims and witnesses of racism know that when they come forward their complaints will be taken seriously.
“While our year-to-date figures are preliminary they do show that a number of worrying trends which we identified in 2013 have continued. Ten per cent of incidents involve physical violence, with a further five per cent involving the threat of violence and property damage accounts for six per cent – these are serious crimes.
“In the coming months we will be using these figures to establish what needs to be done to end racism – our research will examine whether our current laws are not being enforced properly or whether we need new laws.
“Now that victims and witnesses have taken the first steps to end this problem, it is time to use their reports to decide how best to proceed.
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