Connolly Youth Movement Cork Condemn Racist Incidents And Take Action

Recently, zenophobic and racist graffiti was seen scrawled across a wall in the Shandon St. area of Cork City. The graffiti was painted on the wall of an African store and contained direct and racist language targeting the area's local African migrant community. The image of a Celtic Cross, frequently used by far-right and neo-Nazi groups was also painted. Thankfully, local anti-fascists removed the graffiti and the city of Cork rallied around the migrant community.

The Cork branch of the Connolly Youth Movement unreservedly condemns this egregious incident. Shandon St. is a working-class area where people of all races and creeds should be free to associate and live their lives without fear of exclusion and intolerance. Racism and prejuidice are deliberate effects by the capitalist establishment to divide workers and create division where there should instead be co-operation. The economic climate fostered here by the Irish ruling class has allowed people to blame their problems on immigrants as the state and its apparatus benefits from such ignorance as it takes the blame off of them –As Lenin said,”Fascism is Capitalism in decay.” Migrants into Ireland should be made feel welcome and allowed to participate fully in an inclusive society. Many have fled from war, poverty and injustice in their home countries in search of a better life – Not unlike the Irish people forced to emigrate due to the effects of Capitalism at home.

Unfortunately, this incident seems to be apart of a broader campaign. In the city centre, “Irish Voice” stickers have been stuck on to bus stops and lighting poles in Patrick St. and the area surrounding University College Cork. “Irish Voice” is an internet campaign which is explicitly racist and far-right in its rhetoric. Similar stickers were also found near the area of the incident in Shandon St. In an attempt to eradicate any vestige of far-right politics from our city action must be taken. On the 1st April, CYM activists in Cork City tore down all “Irish Voice” stickers and put CYM stickers over them. We were delighted to see that some citizens had already taken some down for us! While this is a small action, it demonstrates to these bigots that their intolerance is not welcome, in Cork, or anywhere else. While these people have draped themselves around the cloak of Nationalism, they seem to have missed what the Proclamation of the Irish Republic meant when it says “Cherish all the children of the nation equally.”

We would like to express our solidarity with all immigrants and their families and declare our adherence to a society free of such intolerance and the system that breeds it. The Connolly Youth Movement is dedicated to fighting against this system and in creating a Socialist Republic which will be, as our namesake, the Irish Socialist pioneer James Connolly said, a rallying point for the disaffected and a haven for the oppressed.

Workers Of The World Unite!