Cllr Anthony Kelly has welcomed proposals being brought to the attention of the UN later this month which seek to establish the recognition of travellers as an ethnic group, and which call for the creation of a travellers agency to monitor and eliminate racial discrimination against them. The County Wexford Sinn Féin candidate has said that he is keen to end all discrimination on this island, and sees this as another stepping stone towards the creation of a true republic of equals, as envisioned in 1916.
"According to Pavee Point, the travellers centre, traveller men are five times more likely to be imprisoned than settled men, while women from the traveller community were 18 times more likely to be imprisoned than their settled counterparts," Cllr Kelly said. "This is an incredible figure and shows that something is clearly wrong in our system. The travelling community feel disillusioned with the political process due to their lack of representation in it. It is wrong that any group of people should feel like this. It goes against everything I believe as an Irish Republican."
"Sinn Féin believe that creating the conditions for establishing an equal society means recognising that many diverse groups and sections of Irish society need enhanced protection from the state. The travelling community have not been afforded this protection by successive governments, who have only been too happy to ignore their needs. Its time to change that. Its time to build our republic of equals."
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