'I've never felt more paranoid and unsafe in my life'... Taxi driver says racism comments are common
LOUISE WALSH
A TAXI driver, whose car was damaged in a racist attack, says he regularly gets told to 'go back to his own country,' despite the fact that he was born here.
Ednan Hameed says is now afraid for his safety after a gang broke the mirror and window of his taxi when he dropped off a fare in Dublin in recent weeks.
The hugely popular Navan man who once ran a sweet shop in the town believes racist comments are becoming more and more prevalent.
"My parents are from Pakistan and they got married here in 1967. I was born in the Rotunda in Dublin almost 44 years ago and my children were all born here too. I am Irish. I have never felt racism really before now, especially in Meath, where I have been living for the last 22 years," he said.
"I am gobsmacked by the amount of racism I have experienced since I started working as a taxi driver again. Years ago, when I worked in the taxi trade, you would get the odd comment but now it is more often and nastier.
"I collected two men and a lady in Navan last week and as soon as they got into the taxi, the lady asked me where I was from? I said, what do you mean? I was born here.
"She said, oh, you are all the same. You aren't an Irish man. I was only driving one minute so I pulled in and told them to get out of my taxi.
"A few weeks ago, I dropped off two passengers in the South Circular Road in Dublin and they ran off without paying. I was shouting after them when seven or eight guys, aged between 16 and 20 years old, came out of nowhere and started kicking my car and saying, 'Get Out of the country, you f**king Packie. You're a foreigner, Go Home
"They broke my side mirror and window and started throwing stones and eggs at me as I was driving off.
"Before Christmas, a group of men got into the taxi and as I was driving, one of the guys in the back kept shouting, Go On Sinbad, Go On Sinbad to me and laughing.
"Every second taxi driver is coloured and I'm sure they are experiencing racist comments too. Some of my friends have been called the 'n' word. Who do we go to? What do we do?
"I didn't even bother reporting the attack on my car to the gardai. I'd probably be waiting hours for them to arrive and then file a report which would probably go nowhere anyway.
"The majority - I'd say 96% of people who get into my taxi are fabulous people and I love having the conversations with them and they do ask me what I think about the migrant situation at the minute.
"I can see people are frustrated and they are fearful. And I believe that the heightened racism that I and I'm sure countless others are experiencing is the Government's fault for their failings to address and manage these issues.
"I'm coloured and I'm Irish. I've worked in many jobs in my life and I'm sure I'm entitled to Jobseekers allowance for myself, my wife and three kids. But I don't want to have to take benefits. I want to work and work in a job that I love. But I have to say that now, I am afraid.
"I've never felt more paranoid and unsafe in my life. There have been a few times where I felt so low that I couldn't go out to work.
"I now walk into a coffee shop or a restaurant with my wife and I feel people are looking at us, at our colour. They probably aren't but I feel I'm constantly looking over my shoulder now.
"I hate to say it but my children have experienced it too. During the Dublin riots last year, one of my kids got a text, telling them to get their passport ready to go home.
"Since the attack on my car, I won't open my doors until I look out and see what the customer is like. What does that say about the situation?"