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'Cowards' slammed over racist posters

Thursday, 06 November 2008

BIGOTS linked to a white supremacist website, who have anonymously urged people to erect racist posters in several locations in South Dublin, have been described by a local politician as “cowardly”. Cllr Eric Byrne (Lab) recently highlighted the presence of the racist posters, which he said had been erected outside a number of post offices in the Harold’s Cross and Camden Street areas. Cllr Byrne explained: “These posters depict an elderly white lady under the slogan ‘I‘m over 70 and will have to pay for my health care’ juxtaposed with a photo of a man of African or Asian extraction under the slogan ‘I’m over here and get it all free’. “These posters are clearly designed to stir up racial hatred.” A prominent anti-racism group has said it is “likely” that people linked to a white supremacist website were responsible for erecting the posters. Southside People can confirm that users of the site’s message board have been urging people to put the inflammatory posters up “all over the country”. Cllr Byrne recently removed several of the posters from outside post offices in Harold’s Cross and on Camden Street. He said he believed the locations selected for the posters was deliberate as many non-Irish nationals collect their allowances outside these post offices.   “I have no doubt that these posters – which contravene both the litter laws and the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act – are the work of a small minority of ill-informed racists,” he added. Mark Grehan of Residents Against Racism said it came as no surprise to his organisation that racists were trying scapegoat non-nationals during an economic downturn.  “This was something that we were always aware was going to happen during a recession or a time of economic crisis. “Those that are trying to stoke this racism are not doing it for the benefit of the Irish State or the Irish people, as they will claim, but instead they are doing it to fulfil an inherent racism and bigotry that they feel.” When Southside People logged on to the white supremist website, several entries on the discussion board mentioned the posters and one directly criticised Cllr Eric Byrne for highlighting the issue. One individual who contributed an entry to the forum said Mr Byrne would prefer to walk the streets tearing down the posters rather than “depict the truth about what’s going on in our society”. Another message on the forum urged other users to erect the posters “all over the country”. Southside People subsequently contacted Cllr Byrne and informed him about the comments made about him on the website. In response he said: “It is important that the general public should know that people like this contributor to a white supremacist website are real Irish people living among us. “It is also important to note that people like this exist and erect racist posters but who are so cowardly that they remain anonymous.” He added: “Thankfully they are a group of isolated fanatics who have no popular support in Ireland but we must be forever alert in case they pollute the minds and exploit the fears of people eager to find easy answers to their economic plight.”