Reporting a Racist Incident

REPORTING RACISM

If you have experienced, witnessed or heard about a racist incident in Ireland, there is something you can do about it. Under the Incitement to Hatred Act, it is an offence for a person to distribute, publish, behave, display written material, words, behaviour, visual images or sounds if they are threatening, abusive or insulting and are intended or are likely to stir up hatred. If you come across anything which could be construed as inciting hatred, you should report it to the Garda Station, and/or contact Doras, or report through the national online reporting mechanism: www.ireport.ie.

Reporting Racist Incidents to the Gardai

It is an offence to incite hatred against anyone in the state or elsewhere because of their:

• race;
• colour;
• nationality;
• religion;
• ethnic group.

If someone racially abuses you, you should report it to your local Garda Station. They will ask you to make a statement about the incident. Make sure that you ask for the name of the Garda Officer you are speaking to so that you can keep up-to-date on the progress of the investigation.

Follow-up an incident with the Gardai (ongoing harassment/abuse)

Ethnic Liaison Officers: They are members of the Gardaí who work with ethnic communities. If there is a long-term problem with policing in ethnic communities, it is their job to work with the ethnic community to solve or improve this issue. There is a large number of Garda Ethnic Liaison Officers nationwide. It is their role to:

• Exchange information with representatives of ethnic minority groups and ‘hard to reach groups’;
• Monitor racist attacks;
• Inform ethnic minorities about Garda services;
• Work with the community groups in order to facilitate and encourage integration.

Link to: ethnic liaison officers for the Limerick area.

The Garda Siochána encourages ethnic communities within Limerick city to engage with their liaison representative through the Community Policing Coordinators Office in Henry Street Garda Station.

Third Party Reporting (Local)- Doras 

You can also report a racist incident (be it witnessed or personally experienced) to Doras (061 310 328) or you can email info@doras.org. If you wish to speak to somebody in-person, you can arrange an appointment with the Direct Support/Legal service at Doras. A case worker will then be assigned to your case for follow-up: Contact Us

Third Party Reporting (National) – iReport.ie

If you wish to help highlight the existence of racist incidents at a national level, you can record the incident at www.iReport.ie – a site hosted by the Irish branch of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR Ireland). iReport is a reporting system for the people, communities and organisations of Ireland to document the racist incidents which are occurring nationwide.

Benefits of reporting racism

By reporting the incident, you will help ENAR Ireland to: 1. Understand how often racist incidents occur in Ireland; 2. To get a deeper understanding on who is experiencing racism in Ireland; 3. Understand more about the different kinds of racism that exist in Ireland; 4. In some cases (if you are willing) take action against the people responsible; 5. Devise effective local strategies for combating racism; 6. Inform our arguments for stronger anti-racist policies at a national level.

Privacy

The reports you send ENAR Ireland through ireport.ie are fully confidential. With your permission, we may contact you for further details about your report, in order to help us establish a better understanding of the nature and context of the incident. We will never hand over information unless compelled to do so by the law.

Further Assistance

For further information or assistance with reporting a racist incident, please contact us.
Download PDF version of this information here: Reporting a Racist Incident