{"id":1289,"date":"2014-10-29T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/29-10-2014-waterford-ireland-pogrom-against-local-rroma\/"},"modified":"2022-07-27T07:54:08","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T06:54:08","slug":"29-10-2014-waterford-ireland-pogrom-against-local-rroma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/29-10-2014-waterford-ireland-pogrom-against-local-rroma\/","title":{"rendered":"29.10.2014 Waterford (Ireland): pogrom against local Rroma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

O’Connor\/Gittens (2014) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treport on a pogrom of 200 right-wing extremists against 30 Rroma, resident in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWaterford, Ireland. The right-wing mob accused the Rroma of a series of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcriminal activities in the city and smashed the windows and doors of their \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thouse. Thanks to the in time intervention of the police, the worst could be prevented. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tResponsible authorities see a demagogic Facebook group as a possible catalyst \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfor the action: More than 200 protestors gathered at Manor Street in the city \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tat 5pm after a rally organised on Facebook turned ugly: \u201cThe demonstrators targeted a group of 30 people from the local Roma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcommunity who were being blamed for a series of alleged crimes in the area. A \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnumber of toddlers and grandmothers were among the group who were evacuated \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom the house after scenes turned ugly. One man in his 20s was arrested in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconnection to the incident but was later released without charge. Solicitor \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGareth Noble told independent.ie that tension has been building in Waterford \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trecently, with anti-Roma Facebook pages being created. \u201cGardai were on the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tscene and removed the Roma people for their safety.\u201d [\u2026] \u201cI’ve been in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcommunication with the Superintendent in Waterford with regard to the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tincitement to racial hatred online. Our immediate aim is to ensure the safety \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof these people who’ve been displaced\u201d, he added.\u201d <\/em>The described events are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsymptomatic of the strengthened xenophobia in Europe, which is directed against \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tethnic minorities. The incident also shows the dangers of social media, when irresponsible \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpersons abuse minorities and incite to hate crimes. At the beginning of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober, a Rroma hostile Facebook group was deleted after an objection. Only \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminutes later, a new group with the same content was created under a new name. According \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto the Rroma Foundation, in the UK, there are an estimated 90,000 to 120,000 Rroma. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe majority of them are integrated and have a job. However, in recent months \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand years, right-wing populist parties and media have fuelled fears of a mass \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timmigration of Eastern European Rroma that supposedly would abuse the British \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsocial system and do not want to integrate. In addition, Murphy\u2019s Notice (2014) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin the Irish Mirror, communicating to the readers the exact place and time of a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpost-demonstration to the pogrom is highly questionable. <\/p>\n

Holland (2014) adds that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tseveral Irish politicians decidedly condemned the incident: that lynch-law had \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tno place in Ireland and had to be fought firmly. Ciara Conway, member of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLabour Party, pointed out that ethnic Irish do commit most crimes in Ireland, however, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tno one does demonstrate in front of an Irish family\u2019s house. The Minister for \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEquality, Aodhan \u00d3 R\u00edord\u00e1in, condemned the incident sharply and called it \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201ccowardly, prejudiced and racist\u201d. Wednesday evening, an anti-racism demonstration \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis planned on Railway Square. The organization \u201cPavee Point\u201d, which represents \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe interests of Irish Travellers and Rroma, called for decisive actions from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoliticians and authorities (compare Counihan \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2014, \u00d3 Cionnaith 2014, Irish Examiner 2014, O\u2019Connor 2014).<\/p>\n