Michael Woods
Ceist:17 Dr. Woods asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the views, if any, he has regarding the manner in which the travelling community was portrayed in newspaper coverage of recent criminal incidents. [3067/96]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Portrayal of Travelling Community.
I deplore any attempt to make the travelling community a scapegoat for recent criminal incidents involving old people in rural Ireland.
I strongly condemn the recent attacks on the elderly, a number of which have tragically resulted in the loss of life.
In seeking the assistance of members of the public, including the travelling community, to bring the perpetrators to justice, the gardaí are reported in the newspapers as having acknowledged that the vast majority of the travelling community are law abiding and unreservedly condemn what has happened. The gardaí are making every effort to track down, and bring to justice, the perpetrators of these terrible crimes. As regards the manner of the portrayal of the travelling community in the national newspapers, it is, of course, open to any person to complain to the gardaí where that person believes that an offence has been committed under incitement to hatred legislation.
I welcome the Minister's condemnation of the attempts to make the travelling community scapegoats for recent incidents. It was certainly reprehensible. I would like to see the Minister intervening at an earlier stage. I tabled this question so that it could be shown that the presentation in the media was extremely unfair to the travelling community in that it implied involvement by the travelling community as a whole in the groundwork and in the commission of the recent horrific crimes. This was totally untrue and was an incitement to hatred. We need to have a method of responding to such coverage more urgently. Will the Minister say how that might be done in future? A spokesperson should say this is grossly discriminatory and say it sooner. I appreciate it is difficult to do so in the middle of the great concern about crime and criminal issues but it is grossly unfair to the travelling community who have been doing such excellent work in their own development and who participate in local communities.
I suggest that might be adequate Deputy.
I agree with Deputy Woods' comments. I deplore the attempt to make the travelling community a general scapegoat. It behoves the national newspapers, and anybody else who comments in public on these matters, to bear in mind that it is not acceptable to place blame on any minority community for an incident. There are criminal elements in the travelling community and there are criminal elements in the settled community also. The issue is who has been involved in any crime and the question of what community they belong to should be irrelevant. It is open to any person to make a complaint to the Garda about that matter. The incitement to hatred legislation deals with such issues. All commentators should take note of that legislation.
I accept the Minister's sincerity. Will he make arrangements for his press office, or some other mechanism, to issue a statement to ensure a speedy redress of the imbalances created by such reports?
I will consider that.
Question No. 18 is in the name of Deputy Keogh. Mar nach bhfuil an Teachta i gceannas caithfaidh mé dul ar aghaidh go cheist eile.