The Belfast riots: new targets, old hatred
New Statesman • • world
Key Points:
- Recent nights in Belfast have seen violent attacks targeting migrants and non-white residents, resulting in injuries to police officers, destruction of property, and dozens of people left homeless, with far-right loyalist gangs implicated in these actions.
- The violence followed an alleged crime by a Sudanese national but using this incident to justify widespread attacks on migrants is both incoherent and racist, ignoring similar violence by locals that has not sparked comparable outrage.
- Claims that anti-immigrant violence stems from legitimate concerns about high migration rates are unfounded, as Northern Ireland has low immigration levels and migrants significantly contribute to key sectors like health and social care.
- Media coverage has often failed to identify the perpetrators as far-right loyalist groups, who have a history of sectarian violence and now target non-white communities under the guise of protecting "locals only" spaces.
- The ongoing violence reflects a long-standing presence of far-right loyalist ideology in Northern Ireland, emboldened by a lack of strong opposition from moderates and amplified by social media platforms that allow racist narratives to proliferate.