Northern Ireland

At least two dozen separate racially-motivated hate crimes logged over the last six weeks

The number does not include those linked to the large scale street violence earlier this month

Two windows were also smashed and graffiti sprayed at a property in the Cedric Street area of Larne in what police are treating as a racially-motivated hate crime. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN
Two windows smashed and graffiti sprayed on a property in Larne PICTURE: MAL MCCANN
By John Breslin

At least two dozen separate racially-motivated hate crimes beyond those linked to the large scale street violence earlier this month were recorded by police over the last just over six weeks.

Damage caused after attacks in the Kilburn Street area. Officers dealt with a number of reports of criminal damage to property including a car being set on fire and a window of a house being broken in Benburb Street. Windows of a house were also smashed in Kilburn Street, both in south Belfast. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
Damage caused after attacks in the Kilburn Street area. Officers dealt with a number of reports of criminal damage to property including a car being set on fire and a window of a house being broken in Benburb Street. Windows of a house were also smashed in Kilburn Street, both in south Belfast. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN

The crimes include the smashing of windows, the painting of graffiti, the hurling of slurs and includes a petrol bomb attack on a mosque in Newtownards.

Muhammad Soufi whose East Belfast home was attacked. The Police Service of Northern Ireland has made five more arrests and dealt with a number of race-related hate crime, incidents and disorder last night, Wednesday 7th August. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
Muhammad Soufi after his east Belfast home was attacked. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN

While the PSNI was unable immediately to furnish exact figures, a trawl of publicly issued statements reveals at least two dozen times since the start of July where the force concluded the crime was racially-motivated.

Damage caused to a property in the Erskine Park area of Ballyclare. A window was smashed and a vehicle parked outside damaged, when a brick was thrown through the windscreen. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
Damage caused to a property in the Erskine Park area of Ballyclare. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN

But separately the Housing Executive said it has received reports of 22 hate crime incidents targeting both tenants and staff in the first week of this month.

Graffiti in Ballykelly, Co Derry
Graffiti in Ballykelly, Co Derry

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, on a visit to Antrim to meet the agency’s staff with Chief Executive Grainia Long, revealed there were 131 “hate crime incidents” linked to NIHE properties or staff over the last year.

Neo-nazi graffiti had been sprayed on the walls of a new shared housing estate in Antrim last month.
Neo-nazi graffiti sprayed on the walls of a new shared housing estate in Antrim last month.

“These target people who are entitled to live in safety and peace in their homes and also housing staff who are simply doing their job,” Mr Lyons said.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 10th August 2024 General view of a the Mosque on Greenwell Street in Newtownards, County Down, where racist graffiti was daubed on the building in the early hours of Saturday morning. It is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
A petrol bomb was thrown at the mosque on Greenwell Street in Newtownards, County Down, but failed to ignite, while racist graffiti was daubed on the walls of the building PICTURE BY JONATHAN PORTER/PRESS EYE (Jonathan Porter / Press Eye)