Former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged people to come together to support the victims “threatened with attack by disgraceful fascist elements” within society.
Mr Corbyn and Len McCluskey, former general secretary of Unite, were in Belfast as part of their ‘Poetry for the Many’ Tour of Ireland.
At the Féile an Phobail event at St Mary’s University College Mr Corbyn read a host of poems that have influenced his outlook on life including ‘Home’ in which British-Somali poet Warsan Shire gives voice to the experiences of refugees.
Speaking to The Irish News Mr Corbyn explained: “It is a poem describing how home is the mouth of a shark because she has had to leave, go into exile and make her on way, as indeed historically many Irish people were forced to go abroad to survive and seek their fortunes. So she’s describing what its like to be a Somali women arriving in Britain, receiving racism and trying to make a contribution to our world.
“Her poem to me and many others is a way of describing the horrors of life people go through and its apropos to these awful events that are going on at the moment.
“They’re attacking Muslim people and mosques in exactly the same way that 90 years ago the fascists in Germany the Nazis attacked the synagogue and tried to demonise all the Jewish people that ended with the Holocaust.”
It comes after another night of disorder sparked by anti immigration protests in Belfast, where attackers stamped on a man’s head in an assault police are treating as a hate crime.
Mr Corbyn said he is “appalled” by the recent violence.
“Refugees did not cause poverty. Refugees did not underfund things. It’s the inequalities, the economic inequality in our society which ensures too many working-class kids don’t get the education they need and deserve.
“Let’s unite in support of those people under attack and bring up our children to understand that strength is communities coming together to deal with the issues of poverty, unemployment, unsatisfactory housing, health or education.”
Several organisations have come together to raise funds for those affected by the recent anti-immigration violence.
Mr Corbyn said there has been some “incredible acts of solidarity’ and urged communities to come together”.
“In my own community there has been one or two, only one or two very isolated incidents, but I’ve been on the phone the past day arranging community solidarity events this week in my own constituency and supporting those organisations providing home, support and legal help to refugees who now are threatened with attack by these disgraceful fascists’ elements within our society.
“I do appeal to people come together support the victims. Come together and bring our communities together but also come together for a better more equal society.”
