AFA News: Anti-Racist Clean-up in Dublin
On Saturday 22nd March AFA organised a group of supporters and local residents to remove racist/fascist graffiti in the Croke Villas area of Ballybough. Below is the press release for the event and the text of the leaflet given out in the flats and the surrounding area.
Cleaning Up Our Area!
There are many reasons why an area suffers from a bad image. Drug dealing, violence and crime are some of the reasons. Vandalism and graffitti are some others.
The residents of Croke Villas have suffered from all these plagues, and now we have some local morons spraying racist graffitti on our walls in an attempt to cause local unrest.
Well, just as we won't allow pushers to ruin our area, neither will we allow idiots like these to drag us down. The decent people living in and around Croke Villas should not suffer because of the mindless actions of a few.
Today, local residents and members of Anti-Fascist Action, a working class anti-racist group, have covered up this graffiti. We have had enough of this racist abuse defacing the area and making it look like a slum. Fascists and racists are NOT the allies of working class people, they are our enemies. They use culture and skin colour to divide the people who have the lowest income and share the same economic interests. The function of fascism is to split and destroy the working class. In Italy and Germany, before World War Two, the first victims of fascism were trade unionists and community leaders.
If we had the time and resources we would cover up all the slogans, but that is a job which the City Council should be doing. Dublin City Council has promised to upgrade all their flat complexes but when will Croke Villas begin?
There is a section of the City Council responsible for removing graffiti, litter, etc.
To do so they must be informed of the problem. We would encourage residents to
contact them at the freephone number 1800 248 348 and ask that
the slogans are removed.
"Keep out the pushers, the muggers and the racists. Let the voices of the good people be heard"
PRESS RELEASE : Anti Racists Clean Up
A local anti-racist group is marking International day Against Racism with a 'clean-up' effort in a North Dublin area which has been defaced by racist graffiti.
Local residents and members of Anti-Fascist Action are taking the action to paint out abusive slogans and Nazi symbols which have been painted on walls in Croke Villas and neighbouring streets off the North Strand.
Local AFA activist Jo Tobin said "The slogans include swastikas and abuse such as "Wogs Out", "Niggers Out" and "SS". The graffiti has been there for at least the past six months, despite the fact that it is the job of Dublin City Council to remove it."
She continued, "This is a residential area and we know that the slogans are the work of just one person. It is not acceptable that decent local people should have their area defaced and made to look like a slum, quite apart from the abusive racial nature of the slogans."
Anti Fascist Action have already been in touch with local residents and have leafleted the area. The group plans to continue it's work in the area and is encouraging local people to contact Dublin City Council to urge them to do the job our taxes pay for and to continue the clean up of the area.
[ENDS]
Back to NEWS