Following the European Year Against Racism 1997, the Irish Platform Against Racism (as it was then called) was formed in 1998, the same year that saw the birth of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR). Like its European umbrella ENAR, the Irish Platform was conceived as a network organisation with the determination to marshal the resources of civil society organisations, bridging Traveller, Roma, migrant, minority ethnic and minority religious communities into a unified, collective fight against racism in all its forms.

Its vision was of a fully inclusive and equal society, fought for by offering evidence-based critical analysis based on the lived experiences of minorities, and providing tools for lobbying, strategic policy recommendations, using European leverage, building the participative power of communities most affected and fostering solidarity in wider society. By 2005, the now renamed Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) was a consistent voice challenging racism and discrimination at all levels, thanks to the collective efforts of its members and tireless work of its rotating voluntary coordinators.

Propelled by its success in offering a clear and unique voice against racism during the worst conditions of the global economic downturn, in 2011 INAR registered as the European Network Against Racism Ireland (ENAR Ireland), supporting the sustainability of its work by hiring staff and financing projects. Since then, its membership has quadrupled as its outputs and impacts grew along with ENAR Ireland’s reputation as the lead organisation on racism in Ireland. In 2013 ENAR Ireland launched its flagship iReport.ie Racist Incident Reporting system, now widely cited internationally as a model of best practice for civil-society based hate-incident monitoring tools, and a definitive source of reliable data on hate crime. In 2020 ENAR Ireland has returned to its oryginal name, the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR), and is today regarded as one of the most successful, vibrant members of the wider ENAR network.

INAR is today the go-to organisation for the media on racism and hate crime in Ireland and a model of best practice across the EU. It leads campaigning on hate crime, the National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR), reporting to intergovernmental organisations, empowering its members, providing analysis to legislators, the media and wider society, and offers a range of expertise from hate crime training to combating racism at a community level. Combining its unique assets, tools, resources, reach and approach, INAR and its diverse Members are poised to lead Ireland in the fight against racism into the 2020s.

OUR IMPACT TO DATE

Since its inception in 1997 as the Irish Platform Against Racism, ENAR Ireland has grown into the collective voice challenging racism in Ireland and is recognised as such nationally and internationally

• Has built a strong grassroots membership across the country representing over 100 organisations ensuring that the lived experiences of those who experience racism is at the heart of the work;

• Established the iReport.ie as the national independent system for recording racism in Ireland;

• Published cutting-edge reports on trends and analysis of racism in Ireland to promote policy and legislative change;

• Developed a leadership programme to ensure INAR campaigns are led by those who experience racism;

• Led campaigns on developing hate crime legislation and ensuring all political parties signed pre-election anti-racism electoral pledges;

• Built relationships with politicians, government departments, civil society and other key stakeholders in discussions around racism;

• Built a strong media presence to combat racism, xenophobia and promote positive images of interculturalism and diversity in Ireland;

• Developed a range of resources on reporting and responding to racism the affected people and communities, including victims, witnesses, and those working with them, to support a proactive and informed response to racist incidents in Ireland.

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