Comment: The fight against racism in Northern Ireland
Celine McStravick, director of NCB Northern Ireland
Thursday 2 July 2009
The attacks carried out in June against
members of the Romanian community in Belfast made evident the very
real problem of racism and prejudice towards non-indigenous
communities in Northern Ireland. At NCB NI, we were deeply
concerned that violent gangs indiscriminately targeted families
including those with children and infants – and in one case a
five-day-old baby girl.
Unfortunately, these events reflect a wider pattern of mistrust
and prejudice that is pervasive in some pockets of our society, as
NCB NI discovered in a recent research project to explore the
attitudes of young people towards new communities in Northern
Ireland. However, attitudes can change if enough people are willing
to deal with difficult issues head on. NCB NI is working hard to
tackle racism and prejudice by supporting children and young people
to engage in debates about diversity and to understand and value
cultures different to their own.
It is critical that this treatment of vulnerable members of our
society is seen as a symptom of underlying ignorance and mistrust,
which can be changed through education and experience. Children and
young people in Northern Ireland need positive role models in
society – people who engage with reality, rather than rely on
old-fashioned rhetoric. NCB NI welcomed the positive contribution
that our politicians made to the debate about racism at the time of
the attacks – we need to build on this ethos of good will and
establish sustainable cross-departmental links that can eliminate
this problem.
Today’s Northern Ireland is changing and diversifying. It is
imperative that the next generation receives the support and
information that they need to form an inclusive, tolerant society
for all members.