The decision by the Government to establish a Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism is a small but welcome recognition of the challenges that Irish society currently faces. The committee will advise the Government on matters relating to racism and the reinforcing of initiatives already developed during the European Year against Racism last year. But with a budget of just £20,000 its scope for manoeuvre will be limited.
In the two years since the number of asylum-seekers arriving on these shores started to climb steeply, we have learned a lot. At last, the Department of Justice is appointing staff to expedite the processing of asylum claims. Its secretary has apologised for some aspects of its treatment of asylum-seekers, such as when thousands were forced to queue for hours in the rain outside the Department's offices last autumn and the Department's spokesperson commented that it could not be blamed for the weather
Shortly, the Department will open its long-promised "one-stop shop" for asylum-seekers and efforts are being made to resolve the impasse over legal aid for such cases. The Eastern Health Board, too, has greatly improved the efficiency of its services since it was first overburdened by the increase in new arrivals last year. The media are also striking a more balanced note in reporting on the issue, perhaps in response to criticism both from within and without the journalistic profession.
At the press conference to launch the report of the European Year against Racism, the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, gave an assurance that combating racism was "definitely" on the Government agenda. But the Minister will have to act urgently, if the events of the past few weeks are not to be repeated. There have been a number of unprovoked attacks on black asylum-seekers living in various parts of central Dublin. Many have taken place in broad daylight; one resulted in a 17-year-old Congolese youth receiving almost 20 stitches to his face following a vicious bottle attack in the city centre.
As a result, asylum-seekers in some parts of Dublin have been warned by gardai to stay at home at night for their own safety. Many are reported to be living in fear. Others now tend to move about the city in groups, which has led to them being labelled as gang-members. The potential for a spiral of violence is clear. One speaker at yesterday's launch spoke of "massive tension" between asylum-seekers and immigrant groups in some parts of Dublin. The possibility of a serious incident grows by the day.
In this light, the shortcomings of Government policy are more obvious. Mr O'Donoghue consistently refers to the economic cost of asylum-seekers and appears to ignore the positive benefits of immigration. The Government appears to have no policy aimed at dispersing asylum-seekers out of Dublin, or out of the most deprived parts of the city where concentrations are highest. Neither will it contemplate asylum-seekers being allowed to work, although this would allow them to become economically useful instead of having to waste their time and their many talents.