Recent info. Racial hatred spilling out of control, The Examiner - 2nd May 2000 by Seán McCárthaigh ONE of the country's most violent racist attacks occurred just off from O'Connell Street in Dublin. Although only a short distance from the city's main shopping district, Parnell Street is a world away from the bright shopfronts and facias of Dublin's largest thoroughfare. A large number of its buildings look dilapidated, adding to the grim urban landscape of one of Dublin's poorest areas. Locals admit that racist tension in the area has grown in recent months due to the presence of asylum seekers being housed around Parnell Street. The north inner city area is now home to around 1,000 refugees from Nigeria, which has led residents to dub the district "Little Africa." Several immigrants have started up small businesses including grocery stores and restaurants to cater for the ethnic community. However, any sign of their prosperity is seen by some as directly responsible for their own poor conditions. Gardaí and people living in the area claim the problem was exacerbated a few weeks ago following another incident between a Nigerian and some local people which is still under investigation. While there have been a few assaults on asylum seekers around the north inner city, Sunday night's incident was the first serious racist attack on property. Certainly, there are signs that a tinderbox situation is developing, with growing mistrust between the two communities. "People on both sides also don't trust either the gardaí or local politicians. They think their involvement only makes such matters worse," said one local who has attempted to engage the two communities in dialogue. "The real danger is what will happen when such a vacuum exists." The problem has not been helped by unease among refugees about the lack of gardaí acting on complaints of racist abuse. Several black people whom I spoke to claimed they had experienced gardaí being physically and verbally abusive to them. However, the Nigerian shop owner at the centre of the attack said he believed the racist problem in the local community was confined to a small minority. Kola Ojewale, 34, maintained that direct talks offered the best hope of defusing any racist tension around the north inner city. "I hope that this situation can be sorted if people talk to each other," he remarked. Across the road in The Blue Lion, customers were not prepared to discuss the events of the previous night. Many were unhappy that they had become the focus of media attention following the weekend's attack on the Nigerian shop. The pub has a colourful reputation and has seen several violent incidents in the past. Locals explained that people in the area were nervous following an IRA linked murder at another pub half a mile away on Sunday evening. This reporter was jostled and pushed into the pub's toilet in an intimidating manner. Although I did not witness the event, one customer said he saw another man with a blade move in my direction. A barman who initially said he had no problem with me speaking to customers eventually told me to leave the premises. One man willing to discuss events in the area was called a "scumbag" by other people in the lounge and told he would not be welcome back on the premises. "Go back to your niggers," shouted another customer as I left the pub. Unfortunately, the indications from Parnell Street is that Sunday's attack may not remain an isolated incident. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international