Report of anti racist march --Dublin 24/08

Saturday August 24, 2002 18:15

by J Reed - Socialist Worker

“This is the second time a Chinese man has been killed in Dublin. I have friends who are abused in the street, many of them have been physically attacked and if they go to the Gardai there is no response or they are very slow. Other friends have had their windows broken by teenagers and been attacked. Many of the Chinese suffer this, and I think the Government are responsible for this, and especially the Garda authorities.” “Racism is getting worse. I have been working as a software engineer for a year, others I work with feel that the conditions in Dublin are getting worse.” Said Wan, who working in Ireland for a year as he took part the protest against a racist murder in Dublin.

“This is the second time a Chinese man has been killed in Dublin. I have friends who are abused in the street, many of them have been physically attacked and if they go to the Gardai there is no response or they are very slow. Other friends have had their windows broken by teenagers and been attacked. Many of the Chinese suffer this, and I think the Government are responsible for this, and especially the Garda authorities.”
“Racism is getting worse. I have been working as a software engineer for a year, others I work with feel that the conditions in Dublin are getting worse.” Said Wan, who working in Ireland for a year as he took part the protest against a racist murder in Dublin.
At the beginning of August, 50 year old Leong Ly Min was brutally beaten to death by a gang who racially abused him. He died a few days later in hospital.
Mr Ly Min had lived in Ireland for thirty years and owned a take away in Tallaght. He was singled out for attack simply because of his skin colour.
This murder comes eight months after another Chineseman; Zhao Liu Tao was murdered in Dublin. The climate for immigrants and asylum seekers has gotten worse in the period. McDowell’s first act as Minister for Justice was to send hundreds of Gardai out to ‘sweep’ for so called illegal immigrants. His priorities are not to clamp down on serious criminals or the Ansbacher account holders, but the most vulnerable section of Irish society.
On Saturday the 24th of August some 200 people marched from O’Connell Street to the spot in Temple bar where the attack occurred and lay flowers in his memory.
The march was called by Globalise Resistance and Chinese Students United and members of the Chinese and Vietnamese communities were present, as well as human rights and anti racist groups and left groups.
Mike Jennings of SIPTU speaking at the protest, said “Racist attacks are unacceptable and we should stand shoulder to shoulder against them. Ethnicity and race are irrelevant”
He mentioned that many politicians had “played the racist and xenophobic card in the last general election” and that the Nice Treaty debate should be free from it.
Khalid Abraham, anti-racist campaigner and member of the Campaign to end sanctions on Iraq said, “This man was a law abiding human being we have heard nothing from officials on this issue we must be united on multiculturalism. McDowoll didn’t start with drug dealers or criminals, but refugees.”
Daithi Doolan Sinn Fein, said “we must create safe streets for everyone” adding that “the Herald and Independent newspapers have added to the climate of racism by taking about bogus asylum seekers and ‘floods’ of immigrants”. “Communities are told that there are not enough Garda resources to tackle crime, bur McDowell could spare hundreds of Gardai for the raids”
Kieran Allen from the SWP pointed out that there was no condemnation of the attack from the government. “Dublin Corporation should have called this rally. In Germany when Jewish and black people are attacked the government lead the demonstrations.The government have been stoking up the racist rhetoric that fuels these thugs when the UVF and UDA murder Catholics in Northern Ireland we are quick to blame the politicians who stoke up that hatred but no one in government has paid tribute to the Chinese community in Ireland, they only talk about bogus asylum seekers”
Maggie, Chinese student in Ireland for two and a half years said on the demonstration, “From last year it has become more dangerous, I was back in China the previous murder (Zhao Liu Tao) and I saw the newspapers and I know this story, and we are very, very angry.”