The Irish Congress of Trade Unions united with community and religious groups and civil society organisations in calling on all candidates in the February 2020 general election to conduct a respectful and truthful campaign.
Some 30 different bodies sent a letter to Irish newspapers. “In recent months several high-profile political figures have employed ill-informed, divisive and hugely damaging language regarding minority communities in Ireland, including Travellers, refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants,” it warned. “Scapegoating ethnic and religious minority groups only builds divisions and stokes tension in Irish society.”
The letter urged political parties and independent candidates to respect the Irish Anti-Racism Network’s Election Protocol. “We call on candidates to fully represent their constituencies, in all their glorious and rich diversity.”