Northern Ireland Police Arrest 39 Over Belfast Race Riots After 76 Households Were Displaced
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 22
Northern Ireland Police Arrest 39 Over Belfast Race Riots After 76 Households Were Displaced
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 22
Summary
PSNI has arrested 39 people over the Belfast race riots, which erupted in June after a knife-attack video spread online and anti-immigration protests turned violent.
76 households later presented as homeless after 48 hours of unrest, with buses hijacked and burned, water cannon deployed, and homes of refugees, asylum seekers and other people of colour attacked.
More than 200 people were helped to safety by migrant-support groups coordinating on WhatsApp, including families who fled with only the clothes they were wearing.
East Belfast, a loyalist stronghold, was a hotspot as community leaders said entrenched grievances and a vocal minority willing to use violence helped turn migrants into targets.