Dublin Lord Mayor Hosts Hate Crime Event as New Data Shows Racist Incidents Reaches Record High in 2020

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23rd March 2021

  • Dublin’s Lord Mayor will host two free webinars this Friday (March 26th) highlighting the issue of hate crime, the forthcoming hate crime legislation and supports available to victims
  • ‘How to Tackle Hate Crime and Protect Our People?’  comes as March is Anti-Racism Month
  • INAR (Irish Network Against Racism) today published new data showing its racist incident reporting system iReport.ie recorded a record high 700 racist incidents in Ireland in 2020

Tuesday, 23rd March 2021: The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu will host a free webinar this Friday, March 26th, highlighting the issue of hate crime and the forthcoming hate crime legislation.

The two-part virtual event entitled “How to Tackle Hate Crime and Protect Our People?” comes as March is Anti-Racism month.

The webinar, in partnership the Irish Network Against Racism, will also discuss supports available to victims and hear the personal stories and experiences of those affected by hate crime in Ireland.

“Many people, including myself and my family have suffered racial abuse and know all too well the hurt and terror hate crime can cause to victims and their families,” said Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu. “Ireland currently does not have any specific legislation to deal with hate crime. At the moment, the only legislation in Ireland that deals with hate-based offences is the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989.  Thankfully, this will soon change, as the Department of Justice is due to publish a new Hate Crime Bill later this year. I hope this webinar will offer victims and those supporting them, the opportunity to hear more about this new legislation and the support services available. We must tackle Hate Crime once and for all. I hope this webinar will give a voice to all those seeking this positive change,” she added.

The Department of Justice conducted a review of the current legislation last year and published a report recommending that a new Hate Crime Bill would be developed. This new legislation will deal with both incitement to hatred and hate crime.

Many organisations, including the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) are calling for the best legislative protections to be put in place for all the affected groups from the harms caused by violence and other crimes directed at their identities.

INAR today published new data showing its racist incident reporting system iReport.ie recorded a record high 700 racist incidents in Ireland in 2020, up from 530 in 2019. The system also recorded 159 Criminal incidents, a record 51 racist assaults and a record 594 hate speech incidents in 2020.

“Contrary to what we might expect, the Pandemic and associated lockdowns did not result in a quieter time for minorities in Ireland,” said Oein de Bhairduin, Traveller Activist and Board member of INAR. In fact, the situation worsened for minorities. What all minorities need in order to be able to live as equals is for our government and institutions to bring their weight to tackle racism and discrimination, and the promise of Hate Crime legislation this year is welcome.”

 

Both sessions will include participation from the audience who are invited to submit questions.

The morning session will focus on the new legislation and what it may mean for victims of Hate Crime in the future in Ireland. Speakers include:

The afternoon session (2pm – 4pm) will focus on the impact of hate crime on victims and support services available. Speakers include:

  • Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu, (Panel Chair)
  • Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman – Changes in Hate Crime and Diversity Practice
  • Sgt Geraldine Greene and Sgt Dermot Delaney, Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit

– Pulse, new trainings, hate crime reporting, hate crime definition, third party reporting, Garda online hate crime/hate incident reporting system

 

To register for the morning webinar, click here:

To register for the afternoon webinar, click here:

This event will take place via the platform, Zoom. For optimum viewing, please download zoom to your device. If you have a question in relation to this event, please email: [email protected]

Join the discussion on social media, using the hashtags #LoveNotHate and #TogetherAgainstRacism

 

Notes to Editor

Confirmed Speakers and Biographies

Hazel Chu | Lord Mayor of Dublin | Host for Event

Councillor Hazel Chu was elected the 352nd Lord Mayor of Dublin at the Annual Meeting of Dublin City Council on 29th June 2020. She first became involved in politics in 2014, when she ran her partner’s local election campaign. In 2019, she became the first Green Party councillor to be elected in the local elections for the ward of Pembroke and topped the poll with over 4,000 first preference votes. In the same year she was elected Chair of the Party. Lord Mayor Hazel Chu is dedicated to lending her voice to promote diversity and equality and is a regular media contributor. Lord Mayor Hazel Chu is the 9th woman to hold the office of the Lord Mayor of Dublin

Bashir Otukoya | Assistant Professor in Advanced European Union Law at the School of Law and Government of Dublin City University

Baljit Ubhey joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as a legal trainee in 1992 later qualifying as a prosecutor in London. Baljit has since held many roles including Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS London. In January 2017, Baljit was appointed as the Director of Prosecution Policy & Inclusion, leading a policy team within the CPS’ operations directorate whilst leading on equality and inclusion across the service. In September 2019 Baljit became the Director of the Strategy and Policy Directorate.  In addition to her career with the CPS, Baljit has held a number of external roles such as non-executive director for BARTS and the Royal London Hospital and has worked with a number of charities. 

Dr Lucy Michael | Co-author with INAR (Irish Network Against Racism) of iReport.ie racist incident reporting system used to map racism in Ireland

Dr Lucy Michael is a sociologist in practice and consultant on equality and integration issues. Her work particularly addresses racist discrimination and violence, experiences of victims, and the roles of statutory institutions and civil society in combating hate crime and exclusion. She is author (with Bryan Fanning) of Immigrants as Outsiders in the Two Irelands (MUP, 2019), and (with Samantha Schulz) of Unsettling Whiteness (Brill, 2019).  She is also a Commission Member on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Dr Michael has conducted research with a wide range of public and private sector bodies including the International Organisation for Migration, UK Home Office and European Network Against Racism. She is co-author with INAR of the iReport.ie racist incident reporting system used to map racism in Ireland. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from University College Dublin, and MA in Criminology and Research Methods and PhD from Keele University. She previously held lecturing posts at Ulster University and University of Hull,  and is a former President of the Sociological Association of Ireland. 

Aga Wiesyk | Communications and Membership Development Officer in the Irish Network Against Racism

Aga Wiesyk is a Communications and Membership Development Officer in the Irish Network Against Racism, a national network of nearly 140 organisations working collectively to monitor and combat racism in Ireland. With 6,5 years in INAR and over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector in Ireland, her focus has been on anti-racism, integration, diversity and social inclusion.  

With a Master in Social Psychology and qualifications in Public Relations and Digital Marketing, Aga oversees INAR's campaigns, communications, as well as membership development and engagement. She is an author of 'Responding to Racism Guide: How to Report Racism and Where to Find Help' and the training based on the Guide. She also produced and co-authored 'Opening Doors: Intercultural Toolkit for Service Providers' and 'Find Your Way: A Guide to Services in Dublin City Centre'. 

Sgt Dermot Delaney | Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit

Dermot Delaney has 17 years policing experience in An Garda Síochána much of which was spent on operational frontline policing duties. In addition to operational duties Dermot was part of a training team delivering training on the Garda Síochána Interview Model to fellow Garda members in the DMR.  From 2018, Dermot was appointed to the newly formed Performance and Standards Unit at Kevin Street Garda Station attached to the DMR Governance Section introduced as part of the Garda Síochána Operating Model.  On promotion in 2019, Dermot was appointed as Sergeant in the Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit (GNDIU).   The role of GNDIU includes monitoring, advising, training and coordinating on all aspects of diversity and integration from an operational policing perspective, including in the area of Hate Crime. 

Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman | Changes in Hate Crime and Diversity Practice

Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman had 34 years’ policing experience with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) before joining An Garda Síochána in May 2020.  As Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing & Community Engagement she has responsibility for the National Roads Policing Bureau, the National Youth Diversion Bureau, the National Community Engagement Bureau, Public Order and Major Event’s policy.  In June 2019 Paula was elected the first female President of the Superintendents Association for Northern Ireland, the staff association that represents the Superintending ranks within PSNI. Paula previously held the hate crime portfolio for PSNI, internally she led on the introduction of new governance structures and policy for hate crime and externally worked collaboratively with partners to improve the response to victims. She was also the PSNI strategic lead for the integration of Syrian Refugees into NI. 

Sgt Geraldine Greene  | Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit

Geraldine Greene has 28 years policing experience in An Garda Síochána.  Geraldine was part of a small team who piloted the European Foundation for Quality Management system (EFQM) in An Garda Síochána and later developed a Crime Mapping system for the DMR South Central. And from 2007-2018 Geraldine held a number of positions in Garda Headquarters including Organisation Development, Policy and Planning, Change Management and Strategic Planning Units. During this period Geraldine worked with teams at the strategic apex of the Garda Organisation, acting in consultancy roles to the Garda Executive.   Following promotion in 2018, Geraldine took up the position of Sergeant in Charge of the Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit (GNDIU). The role of GNDIU includes monitoring, advising, training and coordinating on all aspects of diversity and integration from an operational policing perspective, including in the area of Hate Crime. 

Ciara Carberry | Principal Officer, Department of Justice & Equality

Ciara Carberry is Principal Officer in the Department of Justice. Her responsibilities stretch across a number of areas of criminal law, including the legislation on sexual offences and the conduct of criminal trials. Ciara is the lead responsible for the development of new legislation to deal with hate crime and incitement to hatred in Ireland. 

Valeria Aquino | Integration Officer, Immigrant Council of Ireland

Valéria Aquino holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas and has over 19 years’ experience working in social change initiatives for organisations in the private, public and non-profit sector in Brazil and Ireland. Currently, she is Integration Officer for the Immigrant Council of Ireland, coordinating the Anti-Racism Support Service supporting victims of racism and discrimination, and the programme “Diversity is Good for Business" which works towards more diverse workplaces. In addition, she is Co-Executive Director at AMBI (Association of Brazilian Families in Ireland) an organization that supports the integration of Brazilian nationals in Ireland since 2010.

Doireann Ansbro, BL | ICCL

Doireann Ansbro is Senior Research and Policy Officer for the ICCL. She is called to the Bar of England and Wales where she worked in criminal law and asylum and immigration law. She has previously worked as associate legal adviser to the International Commission of Jurists, consultant to the UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence and human rights attache to the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN in Geneva. She holds an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham, an LLB (Graduate) from Nottingham Law School and a BA from Trinity College Dublin. 

Anastasia Crickley (Panel Chair) | Former Chairperson UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Anastasia Crickley is currently the chairperson of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and was the first woman chairperson of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. Building on her work with Irish emigrants, she founded the Migrants Rights Centre in Ireland and is currently the chair of Community Work Ireland, a national association for promoting community development in the country. Ms. Crickley is a champion of human rights in her everyday life: while involving herself in international human rights organisations, she continues to stay grounded through continually sharing her expertise in supporting and leading local civil society efforts. 

Dr Seamus Taylor | Head of Applied Social Studies and Lecturer in Social Policy, Maynooth University

Dr Seamus Taylor is Head of Applied Social Studies and Lecturer in Social Policy. Seamus has served as a trustee of the Runnymede Trust (Britain ) think tank on race equality and cultural diversity, serving as a commissioner on the independent Commission on the future of Multi Ethnic Britain which reported in 2000 , and chairing the Irish community census campaign in Britain in the early 2000's . He is also the independent chair of the London Hate Crime Scrutiny and Involvement Panel (CJS)  and chair of the Irish Penal Reform Trust. A member of the Expert Group which advises government on Equality Budgeting. He has served as a member of the Advisory Group on Equality and Diversity strategy to the Public Appointments Service. He is also an elected member of Maynooth University Governing Authority. He served as a member of the MU Curriculum Commission and the current chair of the Maynooth University Equality, Diversity and Interculturalism Committee. 

Peter Kearns | Independent Living Movement Ireland

Peter Kearns graduated from Trinity College with an English Honours degree and followed this with an MA in Film & TV Studies at Dublin City University and a Higher Diploma in Adult & Community Education from Maynooth College. In the mid 1990’s Peter established THE WORKHOUSE, a disability consultancy company that supports disability research/development and equality training to the private & statutory sector in Ireland, Europe and Asia. He is also an artist, plus part-time Policy & Development Officer with Forum of People With Disabilities and lectures part-time at Sligo IT.