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A GROUP HAS warned about a ‘witch hunt’ against Roma in Ireland after two children were taken from Roma families over concerns about their identities.
Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre said that there is a “real danger” that State action based solely on the basis of appearance could create the conditions for an increase in racism and discrimination against the Roma community living here.
A spokesperson for the group warned against persecution “against a vulnerable community and old stereotypes of an entire community being propagated in the media coverage”.
“Actions by the State need to be evidence-based and due process needs to be accorded to all communities living in Ireland,” the statement said.
DNA tests are being carried out on a 7-year-old girl who was placed in HSE care on Monday after being removed from her family home in Tallaght over concerns that she was not related to the couple who say they are her biological parents.
In a separate case today, a 2-year-old boy was reunited with his family after being removed by gardaí over concerns over his identity.
In relation to the case in Tallaght, Pavee Point said that the case “should be dealt with according to standard HSE/Garda procedures and the best interests of the child need to be prioritised”.
Racial profiling
Separately, the Immigrant Council of Ireland said the cases have raised questions about whether minorities are being subjected to ‘excessive attention’ from Gardaí and public services.
The head of the Immigrant Council Denise Charlton said the Government needs to make clear what procedures are in place in public services to stop racial profiling from happening.
“The placing of two children from the Roma community into care comes just one week after the Government announced that people from abroad would account for a disproportionate 50 per cent of social welfare checks as part of a new crackdown on fraud,” said Charlton.
“Any targeting of an individual community for such scrutiny, on the basis of unfounded perceptions that they are more likely than others to break the law, is wrong,” she said.
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Very sad that someones live can go so wrong that no one has noticed them missing for so long. And such an awful way to go. Poor guy.
They have missed them they just didn’t know this is how they ended up :(
Terrible state of affairs, poor man, obviously homeless person so nobody missed him…profoundly sad, may he RIP.
Unless it was the home owner who may not have had any concerned family members, either way a truly sad passing in such a built up area surrounded by people yet so alone :(
There was a time when community existed, people knew and looked out for each other.
Long gone NorahB,There is still some of us left though.Good to see you think same as i do :)
God bless you and your family.
Rest in peace to the poor man :( truly heartbreaking to think he lay there.Deepest condolences to his family :(
Hard to believe its been there for nearly 4 years. Not one nosey so n so had a peep in. Strange
sad, yet ridiculous, why hasn’t anyone tried to contact that person? no neighbours or anything?
It was a derelict house so maybe a homeless person. Perhaps he was on the missing persons list? We don’t know yet, but whatever the circumstance it terrible sad that someone should die like this.
Even if he/she was homeless, no one should die like this, as you said, however someone should check such houses, well everyone’s clever after such loss.
Of course Joanna, in the ideal world that would happen. Maybe even in a small town, but in a city it’s easy to become lost, too easy I suppose.
We will all know to morrow.. V sad..
Am sure he is in heaven for the last 4 years
Yeah…heaven…after what must have been a virtual Hell on earth. Good luck with that Mags.
If he was a homeless person, has no other homeless person tried that house? Can a house be vacant for four years without anybody checking who owns it?
The Family will have done peace as they have gone through Hell…
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