Events

Show Racism the Red Card launches in Ireland

March 2006

The Show Racism the Red Card launch at Tolka Park - the home of Shelbourne FC - was an outstanding success. Outside the hall packed with school students and others were a paparazzi of press taking pictures of football legends Niall Quinn, Curtis Fleming and Dessie Farrell.

Students came from schools with more than 40% non-Irish national composition. So it was pertinent that in questions young people put to the panel some of the young people referred to their own experience of racism within Dublin.

'What should I do when people are racist to me?' one young person asked of Mark Rutherford (St Patrick's Athetic). Rutherford who has been in Dublin for over ten years said that 'when I first came to Dublin, people were curious because I was one of the few black faces then, but now the racism has got worse. It is important to make a stand against racism but you have to talk to your friends, your colleagues, your teacher and get the support you need from them'.

Dessie Farrell of the Gaelic Players Association said: 'It is important that in GAA we put in the prevention and education work now and not when racism takes hold. We have a great opportunity within GAA now'.

Niall Quinn said: 'It is easy for a young person to just go along with what others are doing, but it is important to make a stand'.

There was a lively questions and answers session at the event following presentation of the Irish website, DVD and poster. Awards were given to the students who asked the best questions. As the event drew to a close thousands of posters were taken from the tables and autographs were sought and signed.

Shelbourne FC was a magnificent host for the event. It was entirely appropriate to hold the launch of Show Racism the Red Card Ireland at one of the country's leading clubs. We have met with Galway United and officials from Shamrock Rovers and FAI cup winners Drogheda United about developing a pilot public awareness project with these clubs as the pioneers. We are delighted with the reaction so far.

Our launch was covered in major tabloids and broadsheets including The Irish Sun, Irish Mirror, Evening Herald, Irish Daily Mail, Irish Independent and Sky News Ireland and the main evening news on RTE radio 1, with follow on weekend coverage in the Star and the Ireland On Sunday. So favourable was the coverage we put some of the articles on our new website for Ireland: www.theredcard.ie