My unease over attacks on Neeson

Sir — I feel uneasy about the barrage of indignant media-led attacks on actor Liam Neeson in the wake of his admission that he wanted to kill a black man following a rape.

Yes, it was a cruel sentiment, but he has apologised for it. How many of us are really 100pc innocent of harbouring racist notions, feelings, or impulses at one time or another, even if we don’t act on these dark thoughts, as Neeson clearly didn’t?

None of us is as pure as the driven snow when it comes to reacting to the alleged behaviour and attitudes of our fellow human beings.

When Neeson started taking the heat over his remarks, I thought of that other famous man from Ballymena.

Some of the language he used in his fiery oratory over the years was shocking, inflammatory, and deeply offensive to many, but Ian Paisley put aside his strongly held beliefs and prejudices to reach out to his arch enemy, Martin McGuinness...thus helping to create the magnificent peace process that has saved God only knows how many innocent lives on this island.

When it comes to racism, I’d be more concerned about arson attacks on buildings in this country earmarked for asylum seekers and about the rising tide of prejudice and xenophobia directed against “outsiders”, “foreigners” and others deemed by some not to be endowed with the basic human right to be treated with dignity and humanity in our supposedly civilised Irish society.

Education is surely the key to battling racism; not silly, sensationalist attacks on a decent man who said some silly things that went viral. John Fitzgerald,

Callan, Co Kilkenny