Statement from Ivana Bacik following disorder in Belfast
Statement from Ivana Bacik following disorder in Belfast - The Labour Party
Labour Leader and Party spokesperson on Northern Ireland Ivana Bacik TD has expressed her sympathies with the victim of a knife attack in North Belfast on Monday, and has condemned the scenes of violence perpetrated against Northern Ireland’s migrant community following that attack.
Deputy Bacik said:
“My thoughts and those of the Labour Party are with the person attacked on Monday in Belfast who is now seriously injured in hospital, and with his family. What happened on Monday was a shocking and violent incident.
“Labour strongly condemns those who have been seeking to exploit that attack in order to incite racist violence and sow division. We also pay tribute to the emergency services in Belfast for their courageous work in responding to the violence and protecting the lives of so many affected.
“The scenes that came out of Belfast overnight are appalling. We witnessed a group of violent individuals seeking to carry out horrific forms of collective punishment against ethnic minorities and immigrant communities in the city, in what amounted to a racist pogrom. I have heard from some of those supporting the homes and families affected; their testimony is terrifying and heartbreaking.
“All those engaged in intimidation and violence must stop. Those who have committed criminal offences must be prosecuted. Political leaders, whose job is to show leadership, must stop engaging in dog whistle politics on immigration. Last night’s horror is the inevitable consequence of a vacuum in leadership, egged on by individual Far Right agitators and the international Far Right movement on social media. This is a time for calm; and for communities to unite against racism and against violence.”