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Irish police appeal for calm after Nigerian teenager stabbed to death

By
DONAL THORNTON,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Monday, April 5, 2010, 8:23 AM
Updated Monday, April 5, 2010, 8:34 AM

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Toyosi Shittabey


The Irish Police have appealed for calm in the west Dublin suburb of Tyrellstown after a 15-year-old teenager was stabbed to death in a racist attack.

Friends of the murdered Toyosi Shittabey smashed windows of a car while returning from a rally that was held in honor of the teenager.

Several youths were restrained for attacking a group of teenagers that they believed to be associated with the murder.

Police spokesperson Supt John Gilligan has asked people in the area to "take a deep breath, take a step back and let the gardai (police) do their job." 

The suburb is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country, and Gilligan said there has never been racial tension in the area but described the stabbing incident as "truly exceptional."

Over 300 people attended a memorial at the sight of the stabbing.

A message of condolence from President Mary McAleese was read out at the rally.

The Nigerian ambassador Dr. Kemafo Nonyerem Chikwe also attended the rally.

Local MP Joan Bruton said the incident was out of character for the community and she praised the "excellent relation" between Irish and non-Irish nationals that reside in the area. Shocked local Fine Gael councilor Kieran Dennison said while this incident was rare, there was an undercurrent of racial tension. “Racism is something people have in their hearts.”

Bobby Huti is a friend of the victim and he told the Irish Times that the victim was subjected to "loads" of racist abuse in the past.

"This is were we live. He had been living here 11 years. We thought we were safe here. It is not like we went to some mad place where we weren't supposed to go. It has gone too far," said Huti.

Congo-born Patrick Kabangu said, "Racism is hiding everywhere. It is in the schools. Everywhere in Ireland is racist, it is just being hidden. This country is crazy."

Blanchardstown community liaison police officer Sgt. Vincent Connolly appealed for witnesses to come forward with information.

"I just wish to say to the people, if they have anything to say to us, please call us. We cannot do it without you."

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30 Comments

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McNamara31 | Aug 01, 2010, 02:06 PM EDT
clouddweller If we expect people who are black to forgive the whites for generations of slavery, discrimination and lynching’s, then we can expect you to try to understand that there are good and bad in all races.

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clouddweller | May 07, 2010, 12:34 AM EDT
My entire family emigrated to America ten years ago and it was /is a nightmare.Black people run around every city at night murdering,raping and robbing Whites.The only Whites who are not afraid are Irish Americans/ Then our nightmare began one night when 15 or 20 blacks invaded our modest home.My granparents,parents and two brothers were murdered and I am left disabled only because I had a gun. I am moving back to Ireland to get away from these people and now I find that they are in Ireland too. Do not tell me about how poor they are because they are not--but they envy WHITE MEN. I do not want to here about being politically correct--tell that to me dead family??

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rcrdskpr@aol.com | Apr 12, 2010, 09:59 AM EDT
have there been "racist" attacks on whites by blacks? if so, like in the u.s. it doesnt make the news. if a white attakcs a black: its racism. if a black attacks a white: its a mugging, or a holdup. i read after the funerl, there was rioting, and destruction of property; as if the funeral was an excuse for bad behavior, just like in the u.s.

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Conjoly | Apr 07, 2010, 03:19 AM EDT
I wish I could be bothered to reply to your droning IrishAndProud, but due to the fact that I have a life I'm going to leave you to it.

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hyattsville | Apr 06, 2010, 10:45 PM EDT
IrishAndProud- Stop it for Godsake! This article is about a 15 year old boy who was murdered in the only home that he knows because, as far as we are told, of the colour of his skin. Thank God for the coverage in today's Irish Independent who showed photographs of his heartbroken Irish classmates honoring his life and their grief at the pointless loss of it. Kids that saw him as a friend and as a great soccer player, someone who did fit into their view of 'Eire' despite the colour of his skin.

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IrishAndProud | Apr 06, 2010, 09:42 PM EDT
Conjoly wrote: "...based on nothing but your ill-informed and narrow views..." RESPONSE: Perhaps YOUR views are just as narrow, conjoly. Conjoly wrote: (the fact that there are several hundred million black people around the world doesn't seem to influence your friends’ unflattering view of 'blacks' as you so stupidly call them). Firstly, why's it 'stupid' to call them black, conjoly? Whites are referred to as 'whites'; why can't blacks be referred to as 'black?' Isn't that what they are? Secondly, what does the number of blacks around the world have to do with anything, here? Conjoly wrote: Do immigrants to Ireland contribute more to the Irish economy than they take out? RESPONSE: Now you've broadbrushed the welfare bummers in with all other immigrants together, and demand I answer for them all collectively (and you would accept no answer I gave anyway, even if I did let you set the rules and do so). I only addressed the people I've mentioned above, and no others -- and you cannot disguise this very real problem they present for Eire by taking that approach, conjoly. That won't work. I'm not playing your game. Conjoly wrote: "...please, spare us all your idiotic, racist and objectionable views." RESPONSE: Perhaps YOUR views are all of the above, conjoly, and even worse.

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IrishAndProud | Apr 06, 2010, 09:40 PM EDT
Conjoly wrote: 2. ‘…further when you've gained a notorious reputation for bumming off the public dole in Ireland’ - I assume in this instance you are putting forward the old canard that immigrants come to Ireland to sponge off the dole?" RESPONSE: No, conjoly, I'm reporting merely what specifically blacks have become notorious for, within Eire, as I've been told by the Irish people, themselves (when I didn't even bring up the subject, mind you)...and nowhere did I say that ALL blacks do so, but obviously enough of them (and consistently enough) to give rise to such an image of them. I was told this by businesspeople, hotel operators (who must deal with a near-continuous barrage of bogus calls from those who claim false asylum and are looking for lodgings upon arrival), and those who've seen their city overrun with Africans who've played the system in this way. I don't just make stuff up like this, conjoly; I heard it repeatedly from different (and quite mainstream) people in Eire, who merely don't like the fact that foreigners (certain of whom, again, cannot assimilate to the degree that whites can) are all but invading their country and bumming their already-limited euro's. They have every right and reason to dislike that, Conjoly, and if you want to call that being an 'oddball' I'd hate to see what you call 'normal.' I fully expected your general line of attack in response (name-calling and impugning those I've spoken with, and saying I 'hang out' with them...no, I've merely SPOKEN with them), but it changes nothing...as does your nitpicking on my using the word "Eire" instead of Ireland (completely irrelevant...can't you come up with better than that?).

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IrishAndProud | Apr 06, 2010, 09:39 PM EDT
Conjoly wrote: "IrishAndProud there are several things in your ill-informed diatribes below which are incorrect, namely: 1. ‘Nigerians and Africans in general simply CANNOT fit in with Eire’ - pure opinion on your part." RESPONSE: Conjoly, how is saying that someone who is black is inherently not as Irish as an indigenous Irish person 'pure opinion' on my part? To take YOUR view, then white people of European descent must be just as American as the indigenous Native Americans -- so there goes a major left-wing line of argument (ironically made by, I'm guessing, someone who is quite left-of-center, themselves).

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shuvonn | Apr 06, 2010, 05:48 PM EDT
That's a really broad sweeping statement with no proof or any thing to back it up and it is NOT my experience.

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Southernpride | Apr 06, 2010, 02:32 PM EDT
Catholics from N.Ireland have been discriminated against and treated like second class citizens in the South of Ireland

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shuvonn | Apr 06, 2010, 10:19 AM EDT
In my opinion thuggery is thuggery and is in existence on a daily basis world wide and does not discriminate regarding race, creed or color and is not just present in Irish society. I do not believe that xenophobia exists for all Irish people, 25 years ago there were none or relatively few foreigners in Ireland. I have found, that for the most part racism, is more evident in Irish-Americans. I also do believe that many immigrants behave very badly in Ireland as if they are OWED something, and when anyone reacts they cry racist. My sister who is a teacher in Dublin has been verbally abused by an immigrant parent on a daily basis and he is the very one picking his child up 30 mins late DAILY and when she addresses it to him, he accuses her of being racist, when that is NOT the case, but kids need to be picked up on time from school regardless of what color, nationality the person is from. The sheer volume of immigration to Ireland over the last 20 years has overwhelmed the system and its over taxed not to mention abused by some. We hear that people are flying over to Ireland from England to collect unemployment in several places in Ireland and fly back that evening. And some Irish people are tired of it, but that does NOT make them racist.....

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hyattsville | Apr 06, 2010, 09:43 AM EDT
Shuvonn I never said that all Irish are racist! I’m not, nor are any of my family, friends and associates, I have no time for anyone who dismisses another on the basis of race or ethnicity. Unfortunately several people who claim to be Irish have been very vocal about their racist views and I abhor how they have managed to poison our reputation as a whole. And yes I do know the difference between race and ethnicity. Suffice to say that xenophobia exists in Irish society and I have seen it in action, in many cases it’s been exacerbated by bitterness at the dwindling economy there but in other personalities it’s unfortunately innate.

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shuvonn | Apr 06, 2010, 08:25 AM EDT
Hyattsville: I have to disagree with your comments about Irish people being all racist. The murder of two polish people was not racially motivated only THUG motivated, they could have been ANY nationality. Crimes are not considered racially motivated if the victims are the same race and color and polish people ARE the same and all part of the EU which gives them the right to live and work LEGALLY Ireland. There are THUGS and bullies everywhere, and of all nationalities and Irish people go more out of their way to fit in when they move to other countries. They speak the language, they are wiling to work hard and I do not agree that all Irish are racist. Ireland has taken in a vast amount of immigrants over the last few years and for the most part considering the sheer volume without trouble. The term *RACIST* is thrown around way too much and for the slightest thing and not always for good reason. I have met wonderful people who have moved to Ireland and others who think the whole world owes them something who are LOOKING to cause trouble or so it seems, it works both ways..

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shuvonn | Apr 06, 2010, 07:24 AM EDT
Irishandproud: Makes me feel ill to be Irish when your comments are so off base and so ill informed. As far as I am concerned and from my own personal experience and NOT just from VISITING Ireland, but from LIVING there are SO completely different than how you attempt to portray it. I have condemned the murder (YOU OBVIOUSLY MISSED THAT) but a pathetic attempt to twist what was posted to achieve an agenda to make your point for you. As far as I am concerned Ireland has done an incredible job of working on taking in the sheer number of immigrants into Ireland while taking really good care of them in every way they could and are still working on it. It has not yet been established to be a racist murder (because regardless of the reason, there are Irish people murdered daily by immigrants AND Irish people and the world is not as safe as it was) and a thug is a thug regardless of whom their victim is.

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Conjoly | Apr 06, 2010, 02:02 AM EDT
IrishAndProud there are several things in your ill-informed diatribes below which are incorrect, namely: 1. ‘Nigerians and Africans in general simply CANNOT fit in with Eire’ - pure opinion on your part. Opinion with which I and the majority of (real) Irish people disagree - I can judge this by the general acceptance of immigrants in Ireland be they African or otherwise, leaving aside infrequent aberrations such as the murder here reported. 2. ‘…further when you've gained a notorious reputation for bumming off the public dole in Ireland’ - I assume in this instance you are putting forward the old canard that immigrants come to Ireland to sponge off the dole? Again, pure opinion, based on nothing but your ill-informed and narrow views. 3. ‘…blacks were ever talked about in a flattering sense..’ - proves nothing except that the odd-balls you hang around with when you are in Ireland are particularly ignorant and prone to bias (the fact that there are several hundred million black people around the world doesn't seem to influence your friends’ unflattering view of 'blacks' as you so stupidly call them). You also talk (repeatedly) about Eire (your use of the officialese name proves that you, yourself are not a real Irish person) not being able to afford this or that - how on earth do you know? Do immigrants to Ireland contribute more to the Irish economy than they take out? Until you can answer that question definitively and OBJECTIVELY please, spare us all your idiotic, racist and objectionable views

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