Following hate crimes related to ethnicity and racial animosity in Belfast on Tuesday evening, law enforcement authorities have detained six individuals. Amidst tumult and disorder across the city, law enforcement was once again called upon to intervene in incidents of assault, vandalism, and arson, highlighted Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones for the third consecutive night.
Jones reported that around 6.10pm, a local business on Falls Road had been targeted by a group of youngsters who hurled eggs and racially attacked the employees. She further detailed an incident where a 15-year-old boy was assaulted, leaving him with minor face injuries. The incident was terrifying for the young victim, she said.
An effort to calm the situation was observed when the police arrived, noticing a sizeable crowd gathered from the neighbourhood. A 14-year-old boy was warned for his role in the disturbance, which included assault, disorderly conduct, and damage of property.
Following reports of masked youths exhibiting unruly behaviour in the Shankill area, three more boys were detained on suspicion of violent conduct. Two were 16 and the other was 14. As of Wednesday morning, they were still in police custody.
As the night advanced, an incident occurred where a car was intentionally driven into a local estate agency located in the Woodvale Road area, causing damage to the shutters. Robert McDowell, the proprietor, expressed his shock to the BBC, revealing that his business has been targeted twice due to untrue social media assertions that it was housing asylum seekers.
McDowell disclosed his fears about the escalating situation and expressed serious anxieties for his staff, many of whom live in close vicinity and are afraid of also becoming victims, given their association with the business. Reports of further damage to personal property and vehicles in north Belfast neighbourhoods of Enfield Street, Woodvale Road and Rathlin Street were also acknowledged by the police.
ACC Jones stated that three males, aged 26, 28 and 41, were taken into custody on suspicion of criminal damage in relation to the incident reported on Rathlin Street and are currently detained. She also noted incidents of blazing bins causing traffic disruption on Newtownards Road in East Belfast, which were attended to by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
The recent upheaval was described by ACC Jones as a “disgrace” and she insisted that Northern Ireland was not the place for such scenarios. Efforts are ongoing to engage with the groups impacted by these criminal acts, she said, and the arrest of these individuals should demonstrate to the community that actions are being taken.
The Public Order Enquiry Team is analysing the footage in order to identify those involved and to pinpoint those who may have coordinated and instigated the disturbances. ACC Jones appealed for any community member with information to come forward and help in identifying the culprits.
Gerry Carroll, MLA for People Before Profit, who was present during the Falls Road incident, mentioned that the local community was disgusted by the incident. He stated that the locals of West Belfast had shielded a business from an attack by a group of youngsters. Carroll made a plea for everyone to abstain from such attacks and instead uphold diversity, inclusion, and a welcoming West Belfast.
This unruly behaviour took place amid disturbances in parts of Belfast and England recently. The police reported that a suspected hate crime resulted in serious injuries to a victim who was hospitalised following violence in Belfast on Monday night.
Four men, associated with the disorder reported on Saturday, were presented before the Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Monday. In the hearing, it was believed by the police that anti-immigration protest-related violence is likely to happen in Belfast in the upcoming days.
A teenage boy, aged 15, has been charged with participating in a riot, possession of a weapon with intent to commit a crime, and is expected to appear before the Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.