The far-right Austrian politician, Mr Jorg Haider, would get 50 per cent of the vote if he stood in a Dublin election, such is the level of racism and xenophobia in the city, according to the Fianna Fail MEP, Mr Niall Andrews. Mr Haider got 27 per cent of the vote in Austria's recent elections.
"Racism in Dublin is endemic and is a very big problem. It is an issue that will surface in the next election," Mr Andrews said.
He said there was a need for "real political leadership" on the issue.
"The silence is deafening. It is the responsibility of politicians of all parties, as well as the church and the media, to show leadership," he told The Irish Times.
Mr Andrews expressed his concern about the Immigration Control Platform, which is campaigning for children born to asylum-seekers here not to be granted Irish citizenship.
It also wants local plebiscites established to vote on the immigration issue and advocates compulsory AIDS-testing for asylum-seekers.
Denying children born to asylum-seekers citizenship would be a "flagrant breach of civil and human rights," Mr Andrews said.
"I would remind those who advocate such a change to look back at the compassionate and understanding treatment which Irish immigrants received when they had to travel and work for economic reasons to America, Britain, Canada and Australia over the years.
"The United States of America even amended laws in the late 1980s to allow illegal Irish immigrants the right to secure a legal residence in the US."