Racism in Ireland - We must call out nasty words of hate - Derry Journal Editorial

The challenge of coping with the rise in the numbers of people seeking asylum on these islands has been badly handled, the infrastructure and initiatives explaining and promoting inclusivity, diversity sadly lacking, while attempts to answer twisted narratives with truth and downright lies with accurate information about those coming here have often come too late in the day after the damage has already been done.

Had these been in place it may have helped lay the foundations so people can integrate in a smooth way into communities without being the subject of fear and hatred, but that is not to in any way an excuse for the worrying rise in racism and far-right ideologies infecting our society.

The people coming here are no different to the generations of our Irish ancestors and even present day relatives who have fled to other shores seeking sanctuary and a chance at life because of poverty, war, starvation, lack of employment and an insidious conservativism that blighted and even destroyed lives here. Those coming to Ireland are very much reflective of our own people, our own story. Their lives and the lives of their families may depend on being given a chance here just as our relatives were and are elsewhere.

There are, of course, legitimate concerns over resources in Ireland, for example access to housing and healthcare, but those pressing issues have been making headlines for decades. It is all too convenient to point fingers and make scapegoats of people who had nothing to do with this and have little to no means of defending themselves against base accusations. You find it all the time online with seemingly no repercussions for those peddling such falsehoods.

The fault for the crisis in housing and health lies with the governments in failing to prepare for future needs and policies that have seen rents and cost of living soar, the rich getting richer and the poor becoming more and more destitute. And this has been fertile soil for racists to prey upon some of those who feel disenfranchised. They may be a minority but the digital age means their tendrils can spread quite far and we should never under-estimate just how insidious racist and hate-filled rhetoric and ideology can be.

Nor should we try to minimise the impact of words or acts of hate on an individual or family, whether they were born here, are second and this generation Irish, or not.

Indeed, it is incumbent on all right thinking people to call it out for what it is, whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.