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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Comments (8 of 8)

re-educaton

by Rooster

Sun May 08, 2005 05:21

The ARN has taken up a very noble cause, it has set out to defend the weakest and most vulnerable in society but I was not so impressed by its decision to issue leaflets re-educating immigrants about the unacceptability of the Northern police service.

If an immigrant has escaped persecution and torture in their own country and have sought asylum hear the last thing that they would want is to be drawn into our squalid tribal politics.

sectarian middle class

by kyle

Wed Apr 27, 2005 17:34

****South belfast is where most rich, well off professionals live, is living proof that the rich really are morally bankrupt scum.

Why is it, nazis organise and flourish in well off suburban communities, the residents of leafy south belfast have always had it easy, compared with the working class communities of west, east and north belfast. Yet it is always the poorest of our communties who are the most tolerant and neighbourly.

You just have to look at the brutal, selfish, mummy's boys, professional rich scum hooligan followers of linfield FC,most of whom come from snobby cosmopolitan, Lisburn rd, and the village area, all of whom have cushy jobs and stable lives unaffected by peaceline rioting and sectarian violence.****

-----------------------

What about all the south DUBLIN d4 middle class mummy's boys Nazi fascists? Belfast doesn't have a monopoly on this.

Reply to glentoran rules.

by ARN supporter - Kick Racism Out

Wed Apr 27, 2005 11:25

I agree with you. The so called middle class and cosmopolitan constituency of South Belfast has always hidden the racist / sectarian foot soldiers of the DUP and UUP.

I wonder, if the N.I supporters club members who I saw rioting on Saturday at the Oval will be banned from attending a Linfield, Rangers or N.I game..that would be a good deterrent.

The IFA and their business allies love to hide behind their love of the game, while their sectarianism and racism flows easily behind closed doors...who needs the masonic lodge when you've the IFA..?

I think that its about time that the clubs who have faced sectarianism and racism from the six county association should join up with Derry City and play the people's game in a league where the wee blues mafia has no influence...will the Glens join ?

South belfast scum

by glentoran rules

Tue Apr 26, 2005 21:13

South belfast is where most rich, well off professionals live, is living proof that the rich really are morally bankrupt scum.

Why is it, nazis organise and flourish in well off suburban communities, the residents of leafy south belfast have always had it easy, compared with the working class communities of west, east and north belfast. Yet it is always the poorest of our communties who are the most tolerant and neighbourly.

You just have to look at the brutal, selfish, mummy's boys, professional rich scum hooligan followers of linfield FC,most of whom come from snobby cosmopolitan, Lisburn rd, and the village area, all of whom have cushy jobs and stable lives unaffected by peaceline rioting and sectarian violence.
South belfast scum like former UUP party member and teacher David Hall, who was photographed rioting at Glentoran FC.

Mc Dowell

Tue Apr 19, 2005 11:06

The ARN protest made most of this mornings papers including the front pages -as well as all the local major TV news channels this morning and last night.

Yet it was again with a sense of irony that I read McDowell stating that the ARN protest both threatened and intimated them.

Putting aside that some of his supporter’s attempted to pull Anti Racism placards out of Anti Racist activist’s hands, while other Anti Racist activists where man handled - there is though again that hypocrisy.

For here is a man whose guards come in the dead of the night to drag petrified families out of their beds, of a man who sends the guards to go on a 'man hunt’ for children, of a man whose very words give succour to those who set out to pipe bomb and main people, or who have smashed and beat the faces of heavily pregnant Chinese women with weaponary {in the area that he went to visit}.- of a man whose right wing brutal policies put people in very very real danger etc etc etc

And he dares to talk of intimidation and threats. Will you ever - McDowell.

A racist championing the SDLP? Things must have changed...

by Pol

Mon Apr 18, 2005 22:17

I can't believe that this heinous racist is going to Belfast where his ideology has already made life hell for many. Perhaps he should be taken to meet victims of the racist violence people like him fuel with their evil policies. Sickening. And this will be yet another mortal blow to the SDLP. Christ, have they any scruples at all?

Con, relax!

by mellow yellow

Mon Apr 18, 2005 19:55

I know most people in the country hates him and would like to kick his head in but that's not a good idea. 4 Reasons:
1. He's not a facist and therefore should not be prevented from his freedoms in the way you prescribe.
2. Have you seen the inside of Mountjoy?
3. Don't let assholes like McDowell take over your life!
4. Building the anti-deportation movement is far more effective in attacking McDowell then a smack to his face.

by Con Carroll

Mon Apr 18, 2005 17:14

Mc Dowell has no crompehension of reality of life outside the filth of the progressive democrats. he shouldn't be allowd to appear in public only with public hostility to his presence.
There are to many people who are nice to him a good kick into the face would sort that ss bastard mc Dowell out.
for my part I would encourage direct action against him. also flooding the filth within the PDS with email messages which I don't mean respectable ones.

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

Comments (8 of 8)