Racist and homophobic attacks on increase

Only hours before Belfast Mayor Martin Morgan was to host a City Hall reception to mark the UN Week of Solidarity With Peoples Struggling Against Racism and Racial Discrimination, PSNI statistics revealed that incidents of racially motivated attacks in the Six Counties have increased by 60% over the last nine months.

The startling data was revealed during a briefing to the Belfast Policing Board on Friday 26 March. The shocking figures do not include the most recent incidents of racial abuse, which have taken place primarily in unionist South Belfast since Christmas.

Figures show that 267 racial incidents were reported in the final nine months of last year — nearly one attack or racially motivated incident every day. Over the same period in the year before (2002) the figure was 167.

Additionally, the PSNI confirmed that assaults on gay men and lesbians had also doubled during the same period.

The revelations came after three additional complaints of racially-motivated incidents were made last week and before the home of a Vietnamese family in Portadown was attacked for the second time in a number of days.

A South Belfast estate agent — who did not wish to be named — made a written statement to the PSNI after a Yugoslavian family and a Ghanaian man were warned not to move into homes in South Belfast.

The agent said the first threat occurred last week when his firm attempted to move a Ghanaian man into a house in the Broadway area. The agent says he was told by people there that "there would be trouble" if the man tried to live in the house.

In the second incident, a Yugoslavian family of four were intimidated and racially abused after they moved into a home in Kitchener Street in the Donegall Road area.

"The family had lived in Belfast some years ago and had moved to Dublin but came back when the husband got a job as a painter," said the estate agent. "When they moved into the house last Saturday, three car loads of men appeared and started shouting racial abuse at them and warned them they were going to petrol bomb their home unless they moved out.

"The family came to us on Monday in a terrible state saying they couldn't live in the house and were returning to Dublin."

A third incident is reported to have taken place in Belfast City Centre on Tuesday 23 March as a charity worker — who had only arrived in Belfast last month — was collecting money on Rosemary Street. Around 5 pm she was repeatedly verbally abused by a lone attacker.

The 31-year-old woman said she was soliciting donations for her charity alongside a female colleague when a man wearing dark glasses approached her.

"He came right up to me and didn't speak so I put my hand out and asked him if he was having a good day," said the woman. "Then he just exploded. He said, 'take your hands off me' and 'what are you doing in my country you f**cking Paki' — he had such hatred in his eyes."

The bigot continued to follow the woman as she tried to duck behind her co-worker, insulting her, making punching motions and repeatedly threatening her.

"Then he took a length of thin rope out of his jacket and started winding it round his hands," says the frightened worker, "He started walking behind me and I kept dodging out of the way. I really thought he was going to strangle me."

The woman was taken to a nearby cafe by her co-workers but her ordeal continued when the racist thug stood around waiting for her outside. She reported that when the PSNI arrived on the scene they tried to move the man on, but he swore at them and they "grabbed him" and put him in their vehicle.

Sinn Féin Assembly member for Upper Bann, John O'Dowd, has hit out at those responsible for a racist attack on Tuesday night on the home of a Vietnamese family in Portadown. In the second attack on the house in a number of days, windows were broken but fortunately, the family inside were not physically hurt.

"Those of us in political leadership have a duty to stand up to those involved in racist behaviour," said O'Dowd. "Up until now, however, some unionist politicians in the Upper Bann area have, by their use of inappropriate language, fuelled racism rather than challenged it."

In the wake of these most recent attacks, anti-racism campaigners are calling on the public, Churches, and those with influence to unite against the growing tide of racist and homophobic intolerance and violence.

The leader of Belfast's Muslim community, Jamal Iweida, says there has not been a "strong condemnation" of the recent racist attacks from the four main Churches, and has called for a partnership approach to tackle the "growing menace" of racism in the North.

"There have been some individual condemnations from Church leaders but no single, strong statement by the four main Churches," says Iweida. "It is very important for them to speak out against these racist attacks."

Later this week, hundreds of community activists in North Belfast will be gearing up to show their solidarity in the fight against racism and sectarianism during Community Relations Week.

Organised by the Community Relations Council, the weeklong celebration of diversity will begin on Friday 2 April and run to Thursday 8 April and include more than 70 events organised around the theme, "Towards a Shared Future".