Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

Racist attacks on Poles in Finglas

category dublin | racism & migration related issues | news report author Sunday October 22, 2006 18:49author by Garrett Mullan - Show Racism the Red Card

street fights in north dublin

Swords and baseball bats were used in a night of violence in the north Dublin suburb of Finglas. Youths and up to 30 foreign nationals fought violent battles when a long simmering row boiled over into the streets.

Racism against the Polish in Ireland
Swords and baseball bats were used in a night of violence in the north Dublin suburb of Finglas. Youths and up to 30 foreign nationals fought violent battles when a long simmering row boiled over into the streets.

The house in which the Eastern Europeans lived was attacked and daubed with Swastikas and KKK symbols after the violence. Local Gardai called to the scene were attacked with missiles and forced to retreat.

On Monday 9th October, Gardai escorted the foreign men out of the house for their own safety, but then the house was attacked. Every window was broken and the inside was ransacked. The eruption of anger is said to have stemmed from an attack on a local youth which is being blamed on the east Europeans.

A local said: "There has been ongoing trouble there for a while. There are supposed to be two to a room but its is up to seven per room".

The man said that on Saturday 7th October a local youth was being chased by a man with a samarui sword and picked up a spade to defend himself. Massive destruction is said to have occured as other terrified locals hid in their homes.

Related Link: http://www.theredcard.ie

Comments (11 of 11)

Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
author by Lpublication date Sun Oct 22, 2006 19:01author address author phone

Can you be any more specific on where this attack took place?

If you can give me the location of the house that was attacked with paint, I can go there and take a photo for indy media.

author by Photospublication date Sun Oct 22, 2006 19:37author address author phone

Photos of the house with KKK and badly drawn swastikas painted on it were all over the papers last week.

author by Jerrypublication date Sun Oct 22, 2006 22:29author address author phone

Anything to back this up? Perhaps a link covering this event would do the job.

author by garrett - www.theredcard.iepublication date Mon Oct 23, 2006 02:36author address author phone

It should be in the Northside People this week and it was in the Evening Herald this week- they have a picture of the swastika on the house. The location was Hazelcroft Road. The Herald said Polish while the Northside People said Latvian.

Related Link: http://www.theredcard.ie
author by Frank Flynnpublication date Mon Oct 23, 2006 04:10author address author phone

What's to say that this whole episode wasn't started by the Poles? Why is it automatically categorised a "racist" attack (a spurious notion given that there is no obvious racial differences at play here)?

A weekly survey of courts coverage in provincial newspapers would suggest that the idea put across in this news story - i.e. that all immigrants are saints, and the Irish are evil, intolerant fascists - is somewhat of an exaggeration.

author by nomorenonsensepublication date Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:39author address author phone

The word racism is so overused, and indeed missused, by so called do-gooders and media types, that it now holds little or no substance for me. Why are Poles and Irish a different race? Because it makes more dramatic headlines and sells more papers. When people from Connacht were planted in Meath early in the last century, they too were the victims of attacks while having grafiti smeared on their homes telling them to go home. But this was a social issue between the two groups, not a rasism problem. By throwing the words "racist attack" around like they are going out of fashion, and without seeking the facts behind the real story, we simply scare people who have no reason to be scared.

author by mepublication date Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:27author address author phone

"Three White Men Viciously Attacked in French Race Attack "

Read the actual story here -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20....html

author by toforupublication date Mon Oct 23, 2006 13:37author address author phone

An attack by Irish people on Poles (or visa versa) is not a racist attack.

Presuming this incident took place, it is properly and simply classified as an assault or violent disorder. No doubt the Irish side were the usual low-lifes who need little encouragement or pretext to 'have a go' at any group they identify as suitable for their attentions - whether the Guards, rival gangs, or their unfortunate neighbours, Irish or foreign.

There is an added dimension to all of this. Our media, which well knows that sensationalism and controversy sells newspapers, zero in on controversy where none in fact may exist. There is also the 'racism industry' which mindful that it's raison d'etre depends on an assumption that Ireland is a seething morass of redneck zenophobia, seizes on every incident involving immigrants as an example that racism is rife.

One incident I can recall, illustrates how problematic 'racist' labelling can be. Several years ago in Cork a French lady of Creole origin was seriously assaulted by a two young Cork ladies. The case became a 'cause celebre' with the racism industry. The facts were more prosaic. The assailants (politically inconvienently from a traveller background) had a long history of gratuitously assaulting white Irish people. The assault was preceded by the usual 'who are you looking at?' type of challenge. The race or nationality of the victim was incidental. The issue was seasoned thugs looking for aggro.

By the way, most assaults and homicides of immigrants involve, not Irish people, but assailants and victims from the same national/racial group.

Hopefully the new ASBOS will sort out the low-lifes who make life such a misery for everyone, Irish or immigrant.

author by Finglas Ladypublication date Mon Oct 23, 2006 21:47author address author phone

I can confirm that this incident took place, I did not know that the other fellas are Polish just that they were Eastern European. What I believe happened was that a young kid was in their garden, maybe up to no good and the Poles/Eastern Europeans gave him a few slaps, the situation escalated from here. Then other people got involved, there was stuff sprayed on the walls of the house.

author by nonepublication date Tue Oct 24, 2006 05:11author address author phone

http://www.dublinpeople.com/cms/index.php?option=com_co...id=49

Mr Buckley believes there are different elements adding to the problem.
“A difficulty in integration, a lack of services and a lack of reporting of racial incidents are all part of the overall problem we have in Dublin,” he said.
However, a local Garda spokesperson said there was no indication that the Finglas attack was racially motivated.
“The swastikas were put on post incident,” he said.
“The altercation could have been about anything.”
It was confirmed that the Latvians vacated the house hours after the attack.
Meanwhile, anyone who has been subject to racial attacks is urged to contact their local Garda station.

the start of the fight might have been a general bad arguement, but Irish people wouldn't have to leave the area.

author by John O'Neill - ISN - Personal capacitypublication date Tue Oct 24, 2006 13:53author address author phone

I can assure you all that this was a 'racist attack'. There is a small 'element' in that area who have covered the area in swastika, KKK, and Ni**ers out graffitti and they were involved in an attack on an African family that had to move out of the area a while back. The people involved are thugs that have terrorised that area for years and some of them have past ties with a mob christened by the media the "filthy 50".

Locals are understandably afraid of these lumpen hoods and I don't blame them. They have a tough reputation and are extremely dangerous. Anyone who is trying to say this fight was a spontanious outpouring of fustration about immigration is wrong and simply adding to the lie that working class areas are anti immigrant.


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79204

Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.