A PEOPLE BEFORE Profit local elections candidate whose posters were vandalised by bacon being stuck to them is to replace the signs with positive placards.
Memet Uludag, who is originally from Turkey, but has been living in Ireland since 1998 and is an Irish citizen, noticed the vandalised posters two days ago.
He is running for a Fingal County Council seat in the Castleknock Ward in the local elections later this month.
Vandalism
He said that on Thursday he spotted “strange objects” stuck to two of his posters that were hanging on Blanchardstown main St.
On closer inspection, he discovered that they were large pieces of raw bacon stuck on with sellotape.
Uludag said he believed this was “clearly racially-motivated vandalism”. He reported the incident to his local garda station.
Consumption of pork is strictly forbidden in Islam, and pig meat has been used in race-based attacks in a number of countries.
Diversity poster
Today, he will replace one of the vandalised election posters with a “Diversity Poster” which contains signatures and support messages.
His party said that the news of the vandalised posters “has triggered a wave of support and solidarity messages from all over the country”.
Uludag and his campaign group will hold a public unveiling at 4pm of the diversity poster at an event on Main Street, Blanchardstown Village at the t-junction of Supervalu Shopping Centre.
Uludag said:
I have been inundated with messages and supports from people in my local area and across the country. These messages were more than statements of personal sympathy but they were clear sentiments of solidarity not just with myself but with all minority and migrant groups. There were also solidarity messages from abroad.
He said that these messages “have turned a day of hate and fear into a day of condemnation of racism and a celebration of diversity”.
Yet again, it was evident that racism will not set deep roots into the society and people of Ireland will stand up to racism.
Uludag described how his shock and disgust at what happened “has turned into hope for the future”.
He said that the majority of people in Ireland have been going through a difficult period of austerity and cuts, and that at times like this “racism can emerge and anti-migrant sentiments can be high”.
People Before Profit’s Euro Election candidate Cllr Brid Smith said: “We need stand up to racism and defeat it by positive actions of solidarity and resistance.”
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