Racist riots in Northern Ireland: Citizens in fear and need!

Racist riots in Northern Ireland: Citizens in fear and need!

In Northern Ireland, racist riots occurred last night, which now last the third night in a row. Videos show a fire in a leisure center in Larne, where masked young people have taken the windows. The authenticity of these recordings could not be verified by Reuters. In Ballymena, 33 kilometers west of Larne, the riot police set up road closures with armored vehicles. Around 200 people faced the police, trying to control the situation. Several police cars were attacked and the police asked the crowd through loudspeakers to disperse. On the previous nights, hundreds of masked rioters have already been active and 32 police officers were injured. The police described the incidents as racist riots and hate crimes. The British Prime Minister Keir Strander condemned the attacks sharply and there were several arrests.

This violence escalation was triggered by the investigation against two 14-year-olds from Romania, who are suspected of having committed severe sexual assault on minors. While a peaceful vigil took place, there were attacks on houses of families with foreign roots. Some immigrant families tried to protect themselves by attaching the British flag. Michelle O’Neill from Sinn Féin said that nobody should identify his ethnic origin by stickers.

racism and social tensions

reports from those affected underline the danger in which immigrant families are located. A Polish family experienced attacks on their home and was forced to flee. A Czech mother tries to protect her family through visible flags and neighborhood talks and has brought personal objects to safety. The events show a worrying picture of racism in northern Ireland, where a total of 1,334 racist incidents were reported in the period 2021/22, an increase of 341 compared to the previous year. This has been the second highest number since the start of data collection by the statistics office.

A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) proves that migrants in Northern Ireland are often less welcome and that they are often blamed for social problems. Police measures against racism are particularly difficult because there has been no functioning government in Northern Ireland for over a year, which makes it difficult to combat such incidents.

political reactions and social responsibility

politicians like Paul Frew from the Democratic Unionist Party claim that the riot makers from outside have fueled the violence, while Jim Allister denounces a political failure from the traditional Unionist Voice and complained about the excerpt from immigration. Representatives of the social democratic and Labor Party, on the other hand, criticize Allister's statements as irresponsible. Sinn Féin has asked for a moderate language of politicians.

The currently persistent riots and the political debate reflect the deeper social tensions in Northern Ireland. Peter Corrigan from Amnesty International described Northern Ireland as "safe port for racists". Right -wing -radical organizations from England promote this mood and have been working with loyalistic paramilitaries for years. Against this background, activists like Evelyn Collins from the equal opportunities officer demand political measures against racism to counteract the growing tensions.