NORTHERN IRELAND: Racist attacks on increase
01 May 2002
According to an Overview Analysis of Racist Incidents Recorded in Northern Ireland by the RUC - 1996-1999, commissioned by the Inter-Departmental Social Steering Group and published by The Office of the First Minister & Deputy First Minister in February this year, there has been a substantial increase in the number of racist incidents recorded by the police. Between 1999 and 2000 there had been a 45% increase in recorded racist incidents, and the report warns that racist violence was far more rampant than figures suggest. All ethnic minorities fall victim to racism, but the Indian and Pakistani communities are targeted most. The number of children as victims "increased from 8.5% of the total in 1996 to over 16% in 1999. Violence or physical assault was a factor in the majority of cases involving children". The highest number of racist assaults appears to occur in Belfast (where Protestant working class areas show the highest number of incidents recorded), Glengormley, Ballymena, Derry and Bangor, and the "stereotypical perpetrator of racist harassment is a young white male who was acting in consort with other similar young white males."
The report is the first to systematically record and analyse racist attacks in Northern Ireland and is based on 357 incidents recorded by the RUC. It is divided into 16 chapters, which include an outline of minority communities in Northern Ireland, gender and age of the victims, geographical location of incidents, nature of racist incidents, perpetrators of racist incidents and police response to racist incidents, amongst others.
Although the report analyses in detail the number and nature of incidents and their geographical location, the identification of perpetrators remains very low at 56% of cases, with a corresponding "low response" by the police. The report admits that out of 357 incidents recorded,
- In six cases the police spoke to one or more suspects;
- In ten cases the police arrested one or more suspects;
- In one case a person was bound over;
- One person was cautioned;
- One person was charged;
- In two cases a prosecution was taken.
Although the report excuses the police's low response because of formal restrictions on the possibilities to act (no "crime" committed, one person’s word against the other, no visual evidence, identification difficulties), critical observers might conclude that racist incidents do not appear to be the RUC's highest priority.
This report follows two surveys in the Republic of Ireland from 2000 (see Statewatch Bulletin, vol 10 no 2) which found a drastic increase in racist attitudes. The debate seems to have sought to identify the origins of the rise of racism, which were seen to be directly linked to anti-immigrant propaganda by leading politicians and racist media reporting. The present report remains at the level of urging more "intelligence-led" investigations and "multi-agency approaches".
The RUC report can be downloaded from www.research.ofmdfmni.gov.uk. A press release on the report by The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister can be found under www.nics.gov.uk/press/ofmdfm/020201b-ofmdfm.htm