Orchestrated and cynical racist attacks "deplorable" - Cllr Groogan

Green Party Councillor for the Botanic DEA, Áine Groogan has condemned the violence and intimidation committed in South Belfast yesterday. “The orchestrated and cynical racist attacks we saw on our streets yesterday are deplorable. People’s livelihoods have gone up in smoke, people have been injured and so many more are left in fear because of the actions of a small number of thugs who were intent on causing harm to quite frankly anyone they perceived to be from a migrant community.
I was proud to stand with hundreds of people at Belfast City Hall yesterday afternoon at an anti-racist rally, where over 70 organisations came together to quickly respond to the threat of fascist organising on the streets of our city. Those people represent the true values of our city and we all have a duty to challenge racism & xenophobia whenever we see it.

I’m incredibly concerned that people feel emboldened by what has been happening over recent days and months, and they have been spurred on by political leaders, right-wing press outlets and unregulated social media channels who have allowed misinformation and hate speech to spread and allowed people’s lives to be used as political footballs in their stoking of phoney culture wars in order to detract from their own failings of leadership. It is morally reprehensible to allow some of the most vulnerable members of our society to be scapegoated for the failures of government to tackle socio-economic disadvantage.

I have been around and spoken to some of the people affected by the disorder in my constituency today and I’m honestly heartbroken for them; but I’m also ashamed that we all collectively have allowed this to happen. Questions must be asked why after repeated threats to businesses, after widespread online organising of an unnotified procession and vandalism earlier in their day things were still able to escalate to the level they did last night.
It’s also not good enough for some political leaders to come out after buildings are up in smoke to condemn the violence. The time to condemn what was happening was when there was a mob roaming the streets of South Belfast looking for trouble. All political leaders must be unequivocal in condemning what we saw yesterday and proactively work together to challenge racism in all of its forms.

We have called for a special council meeting to take place urgently to ensure a cross-party response, but we need to see more than empty words. People affected need urgent practical support, but we also need to actively target the elements within our society who are stirring up discontent & those that are facilitating them.

ENDS