Belfast anti-immigration violence sparks call for Stormont recall

After the protest outside the city hall on Saturday, some anti-immigration protesters attempted to march to the Belfast Islamic Centre in south Belfast – but were prevented from getting there by the police.

Kashif Akram, a member of the executive committee for Belfast Islamic Centre, said the building itself was “well protected” but the community and shops in the area were “not safe at all”.

Mr Akram said the Islamic Centre has received an “unbelievable” amount of messages over the weekend.

“The fear in a lot of them: ‘Should we be opening up today, should we be going to work, should we be leaving home?’ Especially in this day and age, for someone having a fear for their life, their livelihood, their income, it’s not acceptable.

“Despite all the assurances from PSNI leadership in the run up to Saturday’s mobilisations of what looked like far right thugs, they were simply allowed to run free on the streets of Belfast.

“The inevitable outcome you’ve seen on the route – people were verbally abused, there was racist comments being made, people were physically attacked, you’ve seen the state of some of the shops.”

He said the rally planned for Friday “needs to be stopped”.

“It’s organised crime, it’s racism and it needs to be nipped in the bud. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve felt fearful for my children leaving the house on a Saturday afternoon to enjoy themselves and it needs to be addressed.”