Norma Costello writes:
I received a lot of comments regarding my article in the Irish Independent on February 1 which painted me as a racist, xenophobe and a careless journalist devoid of morals.
The quotes I used were inaccurate. I apologise to anyone I have hurt or upset or anyone suffering from the fallout of a story never intended to inspire racism. I have spent years traveling abroad and living in different countries and have experienced racism myself.
If you are sceptical, read my entire blog and previous published work.
I discovered this story on the site of Poland’s leading national, Gazeta Wyborcza, and I felt it was an insult to people who are unemployed or on low incomes in both Poland and Ireland; people who struggle to get by every day. The three stories painted a picture of an easy life of unemployment in Ireland. A life that was a lot less stressful than that of a working person.
I was also annoyed that it was circulated in Poland at a time when many people in that country are working long hours to feed their families, and that it could be interpreted as encouraging welfare tourism.
More here: My Response To The Independent Article (Norma Costello)
Earlier: Kate And ‘Magda’
