The Irish, of all people, should know the real and gritty reasons that cause people to move from one place to another, the chief commissioner of the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland said at the launch of Intercultural Week yesterday.
Bob Collins said that immigrants came to Ireland not as economic units but as whole rounded people and should not live on the fringes, but should be essential parts of society.
Intercultural Week, launched by Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell, is an all-Ireland initiative promoting the participation of minority groups in Irish society. Running until March 25th, it includes over 75 countrywide events such as art and photography displays; Garda open days; an intercultural film festival; a Kurdish new year celebration and a multicultural day at the Islamic Centre.
The week is being co-ordinated by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, in association with the National Action Plan Against Racism.
It is built around the International Day Against Racism, which takes place today.
Changing Ireland, a booklet portraying the lives of seven people from ethnic minorities in Irish society, North and South, was also launched yesterday.
Mr McDowell said that one of the things that shocked him about the recent riot in Dublin was that people of ethnic minorities were taken out of shops and beaten up "just because they were identifiably different".
Anastasia Crickley, chairwoman of NCCRI, said the event's initiatives and discussions would have a lasting impact long after the week was over. A full list of events can be obtained from www.nccri.ie and copies of Changing Ireland are available from info@nccri.ie.
