The Anti Racism Movement is to oppose right winger McDowells visit to Belfast

antrim | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Monday April 18, 2005 15:40

by Davy Carlin - ARN and Street Seen

carlindavid at hotmail dot com

0777 405 3223

Dear friend the ARN will stand against the visit of the right winger - McDowell - and his racist policies

The Irish Justice Minister, Minister McDowell, has been strongly criticised today for his policy of forcible deportation by the Anti-Racism Network as he visits South Belfast, the scene of many of Northern Ireland's most vicious racist attacks on immigrants.

Anti-Racism Network chair Davy Carlin said:

"This is a Minister who has presided over the forced and inhumane deportations of women, children, and whole families. His policies have also meant people's lives being put in real danger if they are forcibly deported back to unstable countries.

"They include Elizabeth Odunsi and Iyabo Nwanze, two women taken away from their children by immigration Gardai, who stormed into a school in an attempt to snatch one of the children. Similarly, they include Jasper Mordi from Kilkenny, whose life is now in danger because he was prominent in opposing ritual abuses in Nigeria. This is just the tip of the iceberg with again more possible mass deporations pencilled in.

"Here is a Minister whose policies give succour to the very people who carry out such brutal racist attacks in South Belfast. His right-wing Thatcherite policies make it much more difficult for those opposed to racism to attempt to tackle this problem, having just this weekend attended a rally in Athlone against forced deportations and after hearing first-hand how his policies have effected the most vulnerable people. I therefore believe that it is both ironic and indeed hypocritical that he has chosen South Belfast, which has seen some of the most brutal attacks to do his 'walkabout’ with the SDLP."

Barbara Muldoon from the Anti-Racism Network's South Belfast branch added: "In December 2003 Michael McDowell issued extremely provocative statements regarding Irish citizenship. He claimed that "foreign nationals were exploiting Irish Citizenship laws by coming there to have their children and that it was crippling the maternity provisions in the Irish health service" - a statement that was utterly false.

"The price for those statements was paid by members of our community in South Belfast with devastating consequences. In the two week period around Christmas and the new year in 2003/4 there was an attack on a woman who was nine months pregnant and an attack on a mother of new born twins. To bring Mr McDowell into the community that has borne the brunt of racist attacks while he is seen by many as putting forward policies that are tantamount to racist is utterly indefensible.

"Michael McDowell is a figure whose statements and policies have caused grave concern to anti racist groups and groups acting for the minority ethnic community in the Republic. His offices have been picketed on a number of occasions by the Irish anti racism group Resident's Against Racism. A number of Nigerian men are currently on hunger strike against his policies. The Anti Racism Network feel that in the circumstances Mr McDonnell ought to have been more selective about whom he invited into South Belfast

The ARN is calling on Alistair McDonnell and the SDLP to withdraw the invite and distance themselves from the Justice Minister."

Ms Muldoon said that should the planned address to the SDLP by the Minister go ahead in the Wellington Park Hotel this evening then members of the ARN will be protesting outside the premises and will be asking the electorate to consider the actions of Alistair McDonnell when putting their X in the box on polling day.

Residents Against Racism also stand in support of the ARN stance.

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