Northern Ireland sees rise in racially motivated hate crimes

The province is one of many parts of the UK where there has been a rise in attacks on ethnic minorities following a knife attack by a teenager of Rwandan descent in July.

The number of hate crimes against members of ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland has increased by a third in the last twelve months, the local police (PSNI) reported on Tuesday.

According to preliminary calculations based on operational statistics, 409 more racially motivated crimes were reported in the British province between September 2023 and September 2024 compared to the previous 12 months.

PSNI vice-president Bobby Singleton described the trend as “really stark”, pointing out that the recent spike in incidents in early August came amid anti-immigration protests in the province and across the UK. The unrest was sparked by a knife attack at a dance workshop in Southport, England, in late July, when a teenager of Rwandan descent stabbed three children and injured eight others.

Following riots and a standoff between anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters in south Belfast on August 3, isolated attacks on ethnic minority businesses and homes have been reported across Northern Ireland.

“What we saw in early August was really disheartening in terms of the really abhorrent scenes of violence and damage to property. That caused a lot of fear and concern among the black and ethnic minority community,” Singleton said, adding that 20 police officers were injured in the unrest. He noted that the PSNI had so far made 45 arrests and charged 35 people in connection with the unrest. The officer suggested that the actual number of ethnically motivated hate crimes could be much higher than police figures, as many people were afraid to report their attackers and risk further attacks.

Singleton called it “completely unacceptable” that people should be attacked “just because of their identity or background” and condemned the August riots as they had “only one purpose: to incite hatred.” The official promised that all attackers linked to racist hate crimes would be brought to justice.

According to media reports, over 400 people were arrested across the UK in connection with the Southport stabbing. In his speech after the riots, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “far-right hatred” that fuelled the unrest and vowed to give police additional powers to deal with similar riots in the future. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also warned that anyone involved in “criminal violence and disorder” would “pay the price”.

(RT.com)