Racially-motivated incidents on the rise in Ireland

The number of racially-motivated incidents reported by ethnic minorities in Ireland has been on the rise recently, according to new figures released by an advisory body to the Irish government. The National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) study shows cases of assault, abuse or discrimination are running well above average in recent months. However, a police unit which also records racially-motivated crime says it has not witnessed a similar increase. The NCCRI has recorded, on average, some 47 incidents every six months since it began collecting figures three years ago. It has already recorded 50 such incidents in the last four months. The group's director said the figures represented an increase in both the number and seriousness of incidents in recent months. The incidents were reported to the organization by victims, ethnic representative groups and organizations working with Travelers, refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. The group also said that in respect to anti-Semitic acts, Ireland was still far better off than other European countries.