A businessman has criticised the police handling of riots in Belfast, accusing officers of watching on as shops and cafes burned.
Muhammed Atif, who is originally from Pakistan, has lived in Northern Ireland for 16 years.
A member of the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association, he was one of several representatives of ethnic minority organisations who gave evidence to the Executive Office committee on Wednesday about disorder in August and subsequent race hate crimes.
Mr Atif was particularly critical of the PSNI’s handling of the rioting in Belfast that saw businesses run by members of ethnic minority communities burned.
He said officers appeared more concerned about gathering evidence for subsequent investigations rather than intervening to stop the destruction.
“What I don’t like about the PSNI approach is the ‘evidence gathering’ (approach),” he said.
“They stand, they watch, they let the incident happen, they gather the evidence, and then they go after them. Why would you want to do that?”
The North West Migrants’ Forum; the African & Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland; Belfast Multi-Cultural Association and the Belfast Islamic Centre were all represented at the meeting.
Beverly Simpson from the North West Migrants’ Forum told the committee told them “proscribed organisations are engaged in repeat harassment, intimidation and attacks”.
She said: “Our community members report being advised by the PSNI to consult, negotiate or listen to community leaders with a link to paramilitary organisations.
“This is not acceptable in any democratic, peaceful society.”
Dr Naomi Green, from the Belfast Islamic Centre, said that the initial police response was disappointing but we are grateful that the police have responded swiftly since.
“It’s not enough to react when hate surfaces, the underlying causes that allow it to fester must be addressed,” she said.
“Racism and islamophobia intersect and there is a longstanding failure to address either of these in NI.”
Committee chair Paula Bradshaw MLA said: “All of us have the right to live free from fear and violence.
“The ‘opposition to racism’ motion brought to the Assembly Chamber in August condemned the criminal damage and targeting of businesses, as well as the racist violence and xenophobia in our society.
“Now we need to move beyond those words and start to tackle the underlying issues responsible.”
