Event organisers defend decision to schedule only white Irish experts

An upcoming seminar on migrant political participation has no migrant speaker because the organisers say there are none with “expertise on the subject”, Metro Éireann has learned.

“We selected speakers based on their expertise on the subject of migration,” said Piotr Gawlik, chair of non-profit Dialogue & Diversity, which is co-organising Voices of Migrants in Irish Politics on Wednesday 21 October at Trinity College Dublin with the college’s Department of Sociology.

In a strongly worded statement defending the organisers’ decision, Gawlik added: “Modern Ireland is a diverse republic with a significant presence of different cultures. This multiculturalism is a challenge, but it also gives significant opportunities. We will be highlighting these opportunities starting with this seminar.”

He went on to outline the qualifications of the four white Irish speakers scheduled to speak on the day.
Elaine Moriarty is an assistant professor in sociology whose research includes “mobility, migration, race and ethnicity”, while Prof Bryan Fanning has studied “the responsiveness of Irish political parties to immigrants ... particularly in the context of local elections.”

Another speaker is Senator Ivana Bacik, Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at TCD. “It is worth of mentioning that Ivana’s family name is Czech,” said Gawlik. “Her grandfather Karel Bacik was in the Czech resistance and was imprisoned by the Nazis. After the war, he moved to Ireland with his family.”

A fourth speaker, Catherine Cosgrave, will present the Immigration Council of Ireland’s recommendations ahead of the next general election.

Gawlik said he hoped Ireland’s political parties would also be present at the seminar.

“From my observations, the biggest problem in relation to political presence of migrants is the attitude of political parties,” he said, adding that “almost all migrant candidates who run for election [do not have the] support of political parties.”

As of press time there was no comment from Trinity’s Department of Sociology.