In South Belfast, a fire, following anti-immigration demonstrations, has significantly damaged a cafe and a supermarket. Numerous cars were also set ablaze while law enforcement officers tried to handle the unrest on Donegall Road, which extended through much of Saturday night and into early Sunday. The malicious fires were addressed by on-site firefighters.
By Sunday morning, the clean-up efforts had commenced. Bashir, the manager of the supermarket, reported that his business suffered substantial fire damage. He claimed that the local Muslim community was targeted.
“We were singled out because of our faith. This was an act of racism against Islam, particularly targeted at the Muslim community,” Bashir articulated. He continued, stating his dissatisfaction with the response from the local police force, “While all of this happened, the police took no action. I’m telling you, it’s the truth. What kind of law enforcement allows people to destroy everything?”
The disturbances of Saturday night came after earlier skirmishes when an anti-immigration march led to attacks on businesses in the city. The police made a considerable effort to intervene during an extended stand-off between anti-Islamic protesters and participants in an anti-racism rally at Belfast City Hall, amid thrown fireworks and other projectiles.
Those involved in an anti-Muslim demonstration subsequently moved towards the university district, where they clashed with residents from the Lower Ormeau area. A business in the city’s Botanic area was attacked, and a local hotel had its windows shattered.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) stated that they treated reports of criminal damage as hate crimes, resulting in two arrests. In the previous week, numerous social messages had been circulated, calling for people to gather and obstruct roads in the wider Belfast area and elsewhere, following the murder of three young children in Southport.
Michelle O’Neill, the First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, the Deputy First Minister, and Naomi Long, the Minister for Justice, all leaders from Stormont, have expressed their condemnation of the Belfast violence.
The Secretary for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, has commended law enforcement for how it has tackled the recent disruptions. Edwin Poots, MLA for the Democratic Unionist Party, commented that a significant number of the individuals involved in the mayhem were not residents of South Belfast.
Poots criticised the chaos observed in South Belfast as completely reprehensible and intolerable. He pointed out that numerous perpetrators did not reside in the area, while many locals have aired their dismay over the lawlessness. He noted the palpable anger and frustration among the populace. Over the past year, issues plaguing communities in South Belfast that Poots and Councillor Tracy Kelly have highlighted were primarily neglected by governing authorities. Poots expressed that actions causing harm and wrecking an area eager for investment is an entirely self-defeating endeavour.
Furthermore, Poots stated that wage-earning individuals are being expelled from their neighbourhoods due to skyrocketing and insurmountable housing costs. Access to fundamental services like GP consultations and dental care have become exceedingly challenging. Poots stressed the importance of addressing the requirements of those who have resided in the locality for multiple generations. Achieving this can only occur through meaningful engagement and with government bodies that listen and act upon these needs. Poots emphasised that resorting to violence doesn’t provide any solutions.