John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

For those Senators who have not experienced such a situation, I will say why I formed the opinion I did and why I spoke out against racism. I do so in the hope that the lesson I learned will serve as a reminder to some and a warning to others, between now and 11 June.

I attended a public meeting in Cork on a proposed location for the housing of asylum seekers. I heard there the most extreme views expressed on both sides, from those with open arms philosophy and those with a clear racist and closed doors philosophy. Deputy Noel O'Flynn lectured the meeting on our responsibilities. He produced a document purporting to be a copy of the Geneva Convention and left people in no doubt that we had responsibilities in this regard. Within a matter of days he did a complete U-turn on his position and directly attacked all asylum seekers. The result was a heightening of racial tensions in the city and while those of us who tried to contain the issue worked to that end, he saw political opportunism and exploited it.

For me, there were a few defining moments, which I will highlight in order to appeal to the candidates in the forthcoming election to act responsibly and be aware of the consequences of such action. A young Cork girl, a university student, visited me in a distressed state. Her father was from Hong Kong, her mother from Cork. She was born and educated in Cork, and resided there. She was as much a Corkonian as I am. However, because of her different ethnic looks, she was now a victim of racial taunts. A mother of two foreign adopted children also contacted me. Her children had settled into school and had been in Ireland since they were a few months old. They were now being taunted in the school yard. Cork people who had married non-nationals who had integrated into the community, and who had worked and lived in Cork for a number of years, contributing to our society, were now being racially abused. Elderly ladies living alone were in fear of being assaulted or raped by non-nationals, who, according to myth, were rampant on the streets of Cork. This was a result of stirring it up, of playing with people's emotions. Fuelled by some local journalists, the myths and tensions grew.

Together with Pat Cox I organised a public meeting in Cork City Hall and there we heard many stories relating to the same issues, all as a result of the racist card being played for political gain. I chose not to play it, I spoke against it, and I failed to be elected. Opinion polls showed Deputy O'Flynn moving from losing his seat to topping the poll.