The Roma Community in Carrickmacross has issued a statement in relation to recent unease felt in the town. In a statement issued online, the group said; "The Roma Community in Carrickmacross are aware of the fears and concerns of the town's people about safety and security in the town centre and surrounding areas. We share these fears as well, as we are also members of the community in Carrickmacross. We are equally aware of a recent incident in which a Roma individual appears to threaten people with a knife on the Main Street in the centre of the town. The Roma community were shocked and appalled by this behaviour, as were all right-thinking people. We were happy to see how quickly the Gardaí moved to arrest the person and deal with the incident. The individual in question is now before the courts and justice will take its course.
"In this, the Roma Community are just like the Irish community. The vast majority of our people are law-abiding citizens who want to get on with life and build a better future for our families. There will always be incidents in the community over which we have no control. We would appeal to people not to condemn everyone for the actions of a few. Members of the Roma Community have been living in County Monaghan for the past nine years. The Roma are EU citizens and the majority of people within our community work, pay taxes and support the Irish economy.
Roma children attend local schools and for them Carrickmacross is home. Our community wish to make a positive contribution to life in Carrickmacross as Irish people have done in communities across the world. Before Easter, we established a new community group to build good relations and better understanding between the Roma Community and local people. We are hoping that our group will be able to reach out to others and that as a united community we can move forward to improve life in Carrickmacross."
