‘Black people make him sick’

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Ireland - An Irishman has been sentenced to two months in jail by the Dublin District Court for hurling racial abuse at a South African election candidate, according to media reports. Michael Walsh, 61, was sentenced on Friday after he told independent candidate Patrick Maphoso to get off his street and that “black people made him sick”, Ireland's Herald newspaper reported.

He denied this, insisting he only told Maphoso, 43, to “f*** off”, because he disliked all politicians.

The Dublin court heard he made his remarks at the same time that a neighbour, 28-year-old Michael Lawlor allegedly threatened to shoot Maphoso. Lawlor has since died.

Walsh was convicted of using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour outside his home in North Circular Road, Dublin on April 28, 2009. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge, the Herald reported.

Maphoso told Sapa in May he was an anti-apartheid activist. He laid a criminal charge against the two men in terms of the Incitement of Hatred Act.

He had been in Ireland since 2001 and was running a security company. He was still a South African citizen and an “Irish resident”. The country's laws allowed foreigners to campaign for local council seats, he said.

In an interview with Metro Eireann newspaper, he said one of the two told him black people made him sick.

“One of them said to me, if I 'don't want a bullet on my head' then I 'must leave the area',” he was quoted as saying.

“He said black people make him sick. 'All you f******g foreigners make me sick'.”

Maphoso ran as an independent candidate and failed to win a seat on the council. He said the threat prevented him from campaigning properly. - Sapa