Councillors call on Justice Minister Naomi Long to do more to tackle East Belfast racist mobs
TWO East Belfast councillors have compared the racist attack on the occupants of a car at Connswater Retail Park on Monday night to an attempted lynching – and they've called on Justice Minister Naomi Long to do more to tackle the growing issue of vigilante racism. Three men were surrounded by a crowd of men who attacked the vehicle, shaking it violently and shouting racial abuse at those inside. Those who attacked the car where videoed kicking the vehicle and banging the windows while shouting racist insults at the occupants. At one point one man was seen throwing an object into the open driver’s door. The driver eventually managed drive the car away from the scene. Police have been criticised for not intervening during the terrifying incident. Monday’s attack is just the latest racist incident in East Belfast where in recent weeks gangs of men have been harassing and intimidating people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Brian Smyth is a Green Party Councillor for Lisnasharragh, which encompasses areas of both the East and South of the city. He traces the increasing racist incidents in East Belfast to last year’s racial violence in parts of the North, which he says has "gone unchecked". “There’s been a complete failure of the Stormont Executive, but in particular the Justice Minister," he said. "She has taken five years to implement hate law and hate crime laws. But also there’s been nothing done to challenge the disinformation and the lies from these groups and it’s allowed to go unchecked and I think there’s been a massive failure here from Stormont to deal with this and it has built and it has built and you now have ethnic minorities in inner East Belfast who are terrified and who are frightened for their life.
