East Europeans attacked by racist thugs

There has been a series of racist assaults over the past week.

In the first racist attack, a pipe bomb was left at the home of three workers, all from Eastern Europe, on Thursday 28 April. Residents at Greenfield Park in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, had to be evacuated from their homes after the device, believed to have been planted by loyalists, was discovered outside the house, which is shared by a Lithuanian and two Estonian men.

They are believed to have moved into the area in recent weeks and all the men worked for a local business.

In a second incident, two Polish men received hospital treatment after they were beaten by a gang of five loyalists in their home at Moneydig, near Garvagh, County Derry, at around 6am on Sunday 1 May.

The men had returned home after attending a party nearby when the assailants forced their way into the house, held them down and punched and kicked them.

One man from the Garvagh area was arrested.

In a separate racist attack, two foreign nationals were left with stab wounds after being attacked in Dungannon, County Tyrone, also on Sunday morning 1 May.

Both Eastern European men were treated for injuries after a disturbance in the Dunlea Vale area of the town.