World Refugee Day was celebrated internationally last Saturday, June 20. To mark this important day, United Against Racism Mayo (UAR Mayo ) has called for solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, all refugees and people of colour who experience racism in our community and worldwide.
In a statement UAR Mayo said: "Mayo is home to many refugees from around the world, including to over two hundred asylum seekers living in the direct provision centre in Ballyhaunis, subjected to injustice of institutional racism on our own doorstep.
"UAR Mayo welcomes as a point of departure the commitment to ending direct provision and addressing some of the critical issues facing asylum seekers in the new Programme for Government.
"However, we are very concerned that the interim recommendations in the programme for government do not adequately address the core issues and that these commitments are vague and lacking clarity.
"We call on any new Government to: Ensure high quality first instance decisions on international protection applications; Introduce a Referendum to Repeal the 27th Amendment to the Irish Constitution which removed the right to automatic citizenship for people born in Ireland; Set up a Tribunal of Inquiry to investigate the legacy of breaches of basic human rights for the 60,000+ people who have endured the system so that they may be adequately compensated.; Give a full immediate amnesty for all asylum seekers in Ireland; Provide a clear fast tracked timeline on ending the direct provision system; Produce a New accommodation policy which is radically different, abolish institutional living to allow asylum seekers to settle in the community without restrictions; Allow all asylum seekers right to work without discriminating; Remove policy barriers preventing asylum seekers to obtain driving permits; Instruct banks to facilitate opening accounts for asylum seekers; To provide access to culturally appropriate mental health services and supports with trauma; A new Migrant Integration Strategy should include asylum seekers into its scope of action.
"UAR Mayo is very disappointed with a one-line promise to introduce a new national action plan against racism. The new government fails to prioritise this long denied urgent social issue that divides our communities and inhibits integration and social cohesion.
"UAR Mayo demands a pro-active state commitment to enforcing zero tolerance to racism in all areas of life: in school, family, workplace or community. In this regard we welcome the commitment to introduce Hate Crime legislation within twelve months of the formation of the Government and proposed introduction of supports to the victims of crime.
"Racism is thriving in Ireland in its many manifestations. As a society we denied it, we failed to speak out and to deal with it, and we continue to do so. It is disheartening to see racism alive in our community, workplace, school, and racial hatred passed on to generations inside families. It is a shame to know that people in our communities are threatened and unsafe and do nothing about it.
"UAR Mayo was set up to raise awareness about racism, to address public policies and practices on behalf of the individuals affected by racism, but also to empower the victims of racism and to build grassroots solidarity with them.
"No one should be made feel inferior based on their skin colour or ethnic identity and in violation of their basic human rights and dignity. We encourage everyone to continue to stand up against racism in all its forms and to persevere in building the movement which will be able to root out racism from Irish society.
"Finally, we say directly to any future government that the time for accepting platitudes is over. If you don’t act swiftly on all the issues we have outlined we are determined to mobilise a mass people powered movement against you to hold you to account."
