Students from Colleges across Ireland have formed an alliance in opposition to the proposals in this week’s referendum on citizenship. Students’ Unions in Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (DLIADT) have all passed motions calling for a “No” vote in Friday’s poll. They have now joined forces with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), the representative body of over 250,000 students in Ireland, in calling for the referendum to be defeated.

Paul Dillon, President of UCD Students’ Union, says that UCDSU took a decision to oppose the referendum “because students have always been to the forefront of human rights issues.”

“This is clearly an issue of human rights – we are shifting the roots of this country from inclusiveness to elitist bloodline citizenship in a way that demonises those of different ethnic origins.”

“This referendum is not about closing a ‘loophole,’” believes Dillon. “It is a fundamental shift in how we define citizenship. It means that children born to EU and non-EU students and workers, who add so much to our economy and culture, will not be citizens, whereas descendants of Irish people living outside Ireland, with no other connections with the country, will have citizenship rights.”

Dermot Looney, an activist in the UCD Anti-Deportation Campaign, says that “refugees, asylum-seekers and others from abroad are not responsible for the state of the country’s public services – this government are.”

“This is a cynical ploy on behalf of the PD/FF government to take away from their failure to properly fund public services such as health and education,” concluded Looney. “The government has employed racist sentiment against one of the most vulnerable sections in our society - pregnant asylum seekers, many of whom are fleeing poverty and violence that we can barely imagine. We cannot let this government destroy our reputation for humanity.”

Related Offsite Links
Campaign Against the Racist Referendum Website
Irish Council for Civil Liberties Referendum Materials
Why The Irish Refugee Council says Vote No
Irish Centre for Human Rights Analysis of Referendum Proposal

'I do wonder, however, if the racists who run websites, who make disgusting intimidating phone calls, who will not accept my right to have my election posters displayed publicly, are gaining encouragement from the government’s decision to run a racist referendum in conjunction with these elections'

Tokie Laotan, an independent candidate for the North / East ward in Galway city, has been facing harassment on the election trail. She has been receiving abusive anonymous phone calls to her mobile phone, she has been targeted by a racist website, and now her posters are being removed –-apparently in a systematic fashion.

‘I was reluctant to raise this publicly’, says Tokie Laotan, ‘because almost all of the Galway people I have met on my campaign have been friendly and open to what I have to say. Clearly, however, there are individuals who think that an African woman should not be allowed to even stand for election. All this harassment is making me nervous, and making it difficult for me to campaign effectively’.

‘The phone calls stopped after a few days, when I started to tell the callers that I was having their numbers traced’, according to Ms Laotan. ‘The website is still up and spreading its message of hate against me and other immigrants to Ireland —can it be closed down, I wonder?'

‘The final straw was when I learned that two-thirds of my posters were removed within 36 hours of being put up. I realise that posters can be brought down by the wind, and by the odd stray drunk, but this was done systematically, with posters taken from every pole on several routes —College Road and Augustine-street for example.’

‘I know that the racists who do this are a tiny minority, and that they have little support among Galway people and Irish people generally. I do wonder, however, if the racists who run websites, who make disgusting intimidating phone calls, who will not accept my right to have my election posters displayed publicly, are gaining encouragement from the government’s decision to run a racist referendum in conjunction with these elections'.

Related Links and Stories on Immigrants, Elections and McDowell's Referendum
Audio Report on Campaign against the Racist Referendum Meeting - June 4th 2004
Voting Rights for Immigrants in Ireland Under Threat - April 11th 2004 Report
All Children are Equal But if Michael has his Way - Some Will be More Equal than Others - April 6th 2004 Report
The Chen Case @ the European Court of Justice – Money Talks and a Government Lies - May 24 2004 Report

Tim Hourigan is always at the right place at the right time when it comes to Shannon and environs. In his latest coup he finds the Tainiste in the local Supermarket denying Ireland has an arms trade. She'd probably also deny the fact that prisoners in US Style extra-judicial detention are being flown through the Airport down the road from the self-same Supermarket. Read it and weep:

"I was wondering why there was a Garda helicopter over the area on Saturday morning. I went up to my local shopping centre to use the cash machine, (which told me I was so broke I couldn't get to the corner if it cost 10c to go around the world).

When I turned around, there was Mary Harney and her husband with local PD TD Tim O'Malley, and council candidates Bridget Teefy, Jim Hickey, and other hangers-on although I didn't spot her sister-in-law Isobel Geoghan (sister of IBEC boss, Brian, Mary's hubby) who is running in Ward 4 in Limerick.

There was nobody else around, just the PDs and me. . . . ." Click below to continue reading