Racism and hate crimes to be discussed at Friday conference
For Immediate Release
On Friday October 4 2013, Nasc the Irish Immigrant Support Centre and UCC’s Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights are co-hosting a conference bringing leading decision-makers and experts together to discuss Ireland’s legislative and policy framework for tackling racism and hate crime.
“The conference aims to promote an open dialogue, examining the effectiveness or otherwise of our current legislative and policy framework to effectively deal with all forms of hate crime, racism and discrimination,” noted Nasc CEO Fiona Finn. The conference will explore whether our current legal framework is adequate and effective in tackling racism and discrimination, both institutional and social.
The programme includes a brief statement from Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, who was unable to attend the event. In his statement, Minister Shatter specifically notes that the work Nasc and other NGOs do “ is vital in ensuring important issues such as those of racism and hate crime within Irish society remain in the spotlight.”
Minister Shatter also stated, “A process of dialogue reflecting the key issues facing us as a nation is critical in ensuring that we can identify problems and take the appropriate action to minimise and eliminate their effects. This conference is part of that dialogue.” His full statement will be available on Nasc’s website on Friday.
Speakers will address a wide variety of topics, including the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act and equality provisions, sentencing, reporting, Traveller and Roma experiences of racism, LGBT issues and the European legislative and policy context. Speakers include: Michael Farrell of FLAC, Stephen O’Hare of ICCL, University of Limerick’s Jennifer Schweppe, Carol-Anne O’Brien of BeLonGTo, Seamus Taylor of NUI Maynooth and David Joyce, a member designate of the new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The conference will be co-chaired by Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights at UCC and Nasc’s CEO Fiona Finn.
TDs Aodhán Ó Riordáin and David Stanton will be bookending the conference, providing the opening and closing addresses respectively. Both have a keen interest in the issues and in working to reform the legislative and policy framework for tackling racism and discrimination.
Speaking ahead of the event, Labour Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to attend Friday’s conference and to outline my views on how we can tackle racism and hate crime. Recently I have been working with a number of NGOs to try and modernise our incitement to hatred legislation so that hate-crimes can be effectively tackled. I look forward to using Friday’s session as an opportunity to provide those working in the sector, and others who are interested, with my progress on this issue.”
Deputy David Stanton remarked, “I am pleased to be participating in the conference. This is an incredibly important moment to be having a national dialogue on these issues, especially leading up to Justice Committee hearings on integration and combating racism this Autumn.”
The conference will be taking place from 1:15 PM – 5 PM on Friday 4th October in UCC’s Brookfield Health Sciences Building, room G10. For more information, visit Nasc’s website.
ENDS.
