A new anti racism movement has called for the urgent introduction of the new equal status legislation, to combat the growing problem of racism in Irish society.
The Platform Against Racism, which was launched in Dublin yesterday, is also seeking EU action to address racism, positive action measures to address inequalities and the incorporation of anti racism measures into the Strategic Management Initiative and the National Anti Poverty Strategy.
The Platform Against Racism is an independent initiative, by, 10 non governmental organisations working collectively to address racism in Ireland. It includes the African Cultural Project; the Cities Anti Racism Project; the European Union Migrants Forum; the Irish Refugee Council; and Pavee Point, which works with travellers.
"We felt it was important to tackle the perception that racism is not a relevant issue for Ireland," said Ms Brid O'Brien of Pavee Point. "It seems to be an issue we find more comfortable to talk about in other societies rather than our own.
Irish agencies dealing with refugees, asylum seekers and foreign students have reported an increase in manifestations of racism in this State, including physical attacks, the refusal of employment or the refusal of entry into premises, discriminatory housing policy by private landlords and the distribution of racist propaganda.
"The kind of incidents would be as serious as in other countries but the number of incidents is not as large," said Ms O'Brien.
The travelling community in Ireland, believed to number over 30,000, is also one of the cultural groups experiencing racism in this State. "There is a great reluctance to acknowledge that discrimination at travellers' expense is racism," Ms O'Brien said.