A claim by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) that the Government was helping to fuel "racist poison" against refugees and asylum-seekers was "emphatically rejected" yesterday by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.
In a report to the ICCL's annual general meeting in Dublin, the organisation's joint chairpersons - Mr Michael Farrell and Ms Aileen Donnelly - said immigration officials at ports and airports seemed determined to operate a "white Ireland" policy.
They also claimed that statements by some backbench TDs had been close to inflammatory, while even Government ministers had contributed to "a climate of hostility and fear towards asylumseekers in our midst".
However, Mr O'Donoghue said the Government unequivocally condemned all sentiments and manifestations of racism, wherever they occurred. He also rejected any suggestion that his officials promoted racism in dealing with immigration matters.
"Every asylum application is assessed in accordance with procedures developed in consultation with the UNHCR," he said. "In cases where refugee status is refused, applicants have a right to an independent appeal of that decision and the current appeals authority is a retired senior member of the judiciary."
He also disputed claims made by the ICCL regarding the Government's attitude to the 1996 Refugee Act. Mr Farrell and Ms Donnelly said officials had stated openly that the Act, "a humane though by no means ideal piece of legislation", would never be implemented.
Mr O'Donoghue said he was already on record as saying he had not ruled out the full implementation of the Act "in circumstances where the existing backlog has been processed and where the number seeking asylum annually is more in line with that anticipated when the Act was enacted by the Oireachtas."
Mr Farrell and Ms Donnelly said that amid all the "populist hysteria" about refugees, "you sometimes have to pinch yourself to remember that we are talking about 5,000 to 6,000 people, a tiny fraction of the number of Irish emigrants in the United States at any given time, quite a few of whom are illegal but who are not fleeing persecution like most of the asylum-seekers here.
"In fact they are classic examples of the much-reviled economic migrants our politicians are constantly warning us about."
Mr O'Donoghue said he had already stated, in his address to the co-ordinating committee for the European Year Against Racism on April 27th, that he proposed to support the establishment of a consultative committee on racism and inter-culturalism.
