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A
meeting was held quite recently in Belfast with in
attendance seeing established multi cultural support
organisations, human rights groups, civil rights lawyers,
ethnic minority representation, practitioners for
asylum seekers and other such interested parties.
We were there to discuss a proposal to put to the
Mayor of Belfast City for a symbolic gesture against
racism, while others also spoke of the police's announced
plans to attempt to combat such racism. Another proposal
was put and passed that we should seek a further meeting
to get all those groups who would be interested in
looking to establish networks that could give visual
and practical activity within communities, where vital
work is already being done by small groups of persons
working against the rise of racist attacks, with myself
as agreed interim convener of the meeting.
Yet
one finds that although many different parts of society
state they are doing much or at least have a strategy
to attempt to combat racism, let's look at the reality,
lets look at City Hall, lets look at the police.
In
the last day or so the UTV 'moderated site' had two
clearly racists comments on it. A human rights lawyer
then contacted those responsible for the site and,
finding a not very positive response, she decided
amongst others to phone those in City Hall as such
in recent times have told us about a positive strategy
they had for dealing with racism. So after waiting
twelve minutes the human rights lawyer was put through
to a woman who stated she was the 'good relations
officer', who dealt with good relations issues. When
the human rights lawyer spoke of her concerns the
'good relations officer', said that she could not
act unless instructed to do so by the committee. So
the human rights lawyer persisted and asked to be
put through to a member of the committee, the 'good
relations officer' eventually stated that in fact,
'there was no committee'. With me so far?
So
therefore we have a 'good relations officer', whom
is to deal with such aspects of racism, who cannot
act unless instructed to do so from 'the committee',
a committee we are told that does not exist.
So
then an asylum seeker practitioner then phoned up
for further information and asked to be put through
to the 'good relations officer or unit', and was told
by the operator that they had never heard of it. She
then asked to speak to someone who would deal with
the issue of racism and lo and behold, eventually,
was put through to the same woman as the human rights
lawyer had spoke to. This on the day that the Lord
Mayor invited Tuam's Lord Mayor, the first Mayor from
the travelling community, and from the Republic to
Belfast City Hall.
A
hall that we now know holds only the rhetoric or the
illusion of fighting racism.
So
then we move to the PSNI and their leaflet entitled
'Hate Crime, Racist Incident, Protecting Your Rights'
which states 'we will respond to all incidents reported
to us, whether or not they amount to a crime'. We
are then told that every area will have a minority
liaison officer with the responsibility of that minority
liaison officer being, 'to ensure that your complaint
is being satisfactorily investigated and that you
are being kept informed of developments'. So these
are the people who specifically are responsible for
ensuring such racism and racist attacks are being
satisfactorily investigated and that one is kept informed
and updated. So the humans rights lawyer phoned the
PSNI and asked to speak to one of these obviously
important minority liaison officers {from any area},
given the continual rise in racist attacks, and was
told by the PSNI, that in fact there were not any.
Still with me?
So
lets get this right, the strategy therefore is to
have a 'good relations officer', {when found} whom
cannot act without approval of a committee that does
not exist while having {police} minority liaison officers
whom are to ensure that complaints are to be followed
up and that one is informed, but they too do not exist.
Maybe
it's me, but doesn't it feel as if wool is attempted
to be pulled over ones eyes? For some this is of little
surprise, so while those whom wish to practice the
politics of illusion with people lives there will
be those of us, as there always have been, whom will
put aside that rhetoric for gain, political or otherwise,
and will seek to actively combat this rise of racism
while lending real support to those that need it.
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