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Tag Archives: racism

Racist language in online video

THREE young Clare people, two males and a female, have faced an online backlash after a video was posted in which racist language was used. The video, which is just a few seconds long, has been shared widely on social media in recent days. The two males involved posted messages on social media subsequently, in which they apologised for their conduct. St Caimin’s Secondary School in Shannon posted a message on its Twitter account subsequently, in which it distanced itself from the behaviour seen on the video. “We have been made aware of a video in which a group of young people use an abhorrent racial term. “In St Caimin’s, we teach our students about the hurt and harm caused by such language. Racism is not tolerated in our school and we are committed to upholding our anti-racist ethos.” However, a number of people, some of whom said they were past pupils, subsequently replied to criticise the school, while some …

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“We’d be followed around the store, it still happens in Ennis”

RACISM is not at the same pitch as seen in America, but is still a very real part of life for local black people. That is the view of three young women, all involved in the Black Lives movement, who spoke to The Clare Champion ahead of a protest held on Wednesday afternoon. All three have Nigerian parentage but grew up in Ennis, went to local schools and are now attending third level. “Life in Ennis isn’t too bad to be honest, people are quite welcoming and quite friendly. You just have a small amount of people who aren’t as welcoming as others,” said one of the women. Race has been in the news in this country this week, following a serious attack on a young person in Cork, a recording of which has been widely shared on social media. The women said they “100%” condemned the attack, while they felt the perpetrators should be dealt with accordingly. A recent …

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Black Lives Matter Ennis defer controversial event

THE organisers of a peaceful protest at the death of George Floyd, which had been planned for Ennis on Saturday, has been postponed. Those behind the anti-racism event had pledged to use every possible measure to ensure social distancing, but a significant level of public concern over the possible transmission of Covid-19 prompted them to defer the demonstration. In a statement, organisers said that “new information and clearer guidance of civil liberties and our rights to protest during the time of pandemic” had prompted them to call off the protest in the public interest. “It is vital that people are aware of the systemic and institutional racism that is present not only in America but also in Ireland,” the statement said. “Racism is present in Ireland many have experienced it and it’s not an issue unique to America this is why we feel strongly about protesting to bring awareness to the issue and strive for change.” Organisers said they are …

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Travellers quit soccer due to racist abuse

FOUR travellers, who had been playing soccer for Sporting Ennistymon, have left the sport following numerous incidences of racist abuse. Figures in the club have voiced their upset at the abuse meted out to the young men, which had become increasingly frequent since the beginning of the current season. Secretary of the Clare District Soccer League, Michael Lydon, refused to comment on the issue on Wednesday. Twenty-four-year-old Michael Sherlock had played for the club, along with his brothers, Edward and Patrick, and their cousin, Martin Mongan. He said that, in recent months, opponents had increasingly sought to insult their background.“We go out and play and you have fellas saying into your ear, ‘Go away, you knacker’. When we react, the referee doesn’t do anything to the other party.” Earlier this year he was sent off in a match played at Lees Road after reacting to a person who referred to him as a “knacker”, while the player who dispensed the offensive …

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Lisdoonvarna asylum seekers plight shows how fortunate we are-Comment

THERE are many things we complain about in Ireland, sometimes with validity. Our health service is creaking, our property prices are exploding, our weather is appalling, our capital is swallowing the rest of the country, our streets are filled with homeless men and women. All of these are daily complaints that fill our newspapers and chat shows but, for all Ireland’s failings, when we hear the stories of those housed in Direct Provision in Lisdoonvarna, we see that this is not such a dysfunctional society. One man who spoke to The Clare Champion fled the Congo because he feared he would be killed by state forces if he didn’t poison others. Who here will ever be put in such a position? It might seem unbelievable that anyone here over the age of 25 was born into an Ireland where homosexuality was illegal, but things have clearly progressed dramatically. Contrast that with the experience of Sihre Mkandla, who moved in the …

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Traveller expresses frustration after judge throws out discrimination case

A traveller told his legal team, “I paid you three grand to take this to court and is this the result I get?” after a judge threw out his discrimination case against a North Clare pub and seafood restaurant. At Ennis District Court, father-of-six Patrick Donovan expressed his frustration for everyone in the court to hear, after Judge Fiona Lydon ruled that he was asked to leave Vaughan’s pub and seafood restaurant in Liscannor not on the basis of discrimination or because he was a Traveller. In words heard across the court room, Mr Donovan told his two strong legal team, “I paid you three grand to take this to court and is this the result I get here? What is my kids’ future? What is my family’s future?” Judge Lydon moments earlier retreated from the bench to her chambers after Mr Donovan got to his feet to protest at her ruling in the case. He told Judge Lydon, before she departed, …

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Ennis All Stars bid to retain SARI Cup

ON Saturday, Ennis All Stars FC head to Dublin to participate in the Tesco Mobile Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) Cup, with hopes of bringing it back to the Banner for the third time. Ennis All Stars won the SARI annual national tournament twice, firstly in September 2011 and again in 2015, after beating a team from Mosney in a dramatic penalty shoot out. Ennis All Stars are the only team in the 21 years of the tournament to win the cup twice. The SARI inter-cultural Soccerfest will take place at the Garda Sports grounds, Phoenix Park alongside the launch of the European Week of Sport. Teams will be drawn from all over Ireland and will include teams representing the Syrian and Rohingya refugee communities. This will be a huge celebration of the benefits of sport from keeping healthy to social inclusion. The organizers are inviting people to come along and try out the many sports that will be on …

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Asian family claim they are ‘victims of racism’

AN Asian family living in Shannon’s Cúl na Gréine housing estate claim they are victims of racism, having been verbally abused, assaulted and having had their house egged many times over several years. They have blasted Clare County Council claiming they have failed to respond to numerous complaints and that the racism has come from the local authority, as well as those behind the direct abuse. One family member said that assurances they were given when they arrived have not been honoured and that incidents of racism were ignored by the local authority. “We are here for seven or eight years, since this estate was built. We were the first tenants here and when we signed the lease, we were given an assurance that if there was any anti-social behaviour, the people involved would be evicted. It was in the terms and conditions. We thought it sounded good, we were naïve, we didn’t know that council estates could be like …

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