Statement on Racist Violence

The recent attack on a man in North Belfast was vicious and appalling.  It is right that people are outraged by this act of extreme violence, and we stand in solidarity with the victim and his family.  We also stand with their statement that this tragedy should not be used to justify racist attacks on migrant communities here, nor as an excuse for civil unrest.

This is the third summer in which our migrant neighbours are living in terror.  It is clear that this violence and unrest is being driven by sinister forces both within and beyond Northern Ireland.  While migration is an important social and political issue – which should be discussed and debated – there is also a need for vision and leadership on the part of our political leaders.  Condemnation is not enough; we need to see stronger action to support and celebrate diversity within our society.  Protests that are underpinned by intimidation are not – by definition - peaceful protests.

We are concerned by the numbers of children and young people who are both victims and perpetrators of the ongoing racist violence and intimidation.  It is clear that many of those perpetrators are being manipulated by adults.  We encourage all young people to think about the consequences of their actions both for our migrant neighbours and also for those young people themselves.

Diversity enriches our society.  We see this in our projects with young people and adults from a wide range of backgrounds.  It is wonderful that people choose to make their lives here and contribute so much to our society.  

While we have been horrified by the racist violence unleashed on migrant families, we are also greatly encouraged and inspired by the community response to protect and support these neighbours.  We believe that this response is more representative of our society.  We commit ourselves to doing more to celebrate the value of diversity for our society through our projects and programmes.

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