In Belfast almost 15 years ago, a wide-ranging conference on racism considered suggestions by a number of leading European publications, including Der Spiegal of Germany and The Guardian of England, that the city had become the continent’s `race hate capital’.
The description sadly had a firm factual basis with official police figures at the time confirming that hate crimes both in Belfast and across Northern Ireland were rising at an alarming level.
In the space of the previous decade, the number of racist incidents recorded annually by the PSNI had jumped from less than 50 to almost 1,000.
Major efforts were made to address the issue, with one of the most important developments being the launch of the Belfast Multi Cultural Association in the Donegall Pass area of the city.
Some progress has been made as a result, but the arson outbreak which extensively damaged the association’s headquarters and destroyed a food bank for vulnerable people last Thursday night could only be regarded as deeply disturbing.
Although it did not come entirely out of the blue, as workers in the centre had recently reported a series of acts of intimidation, including the smashing of car windows and the pulling down of CCTV cameras, a deliberate attempt by intruders to burn down the property represented a serious escalation of the threats against the association.
Plans to open a properly resourced community centre in the building have had to be put on hold while the security of the staff is urgently reviewed
No section of society has a monopoly on racist attitudes but the location of the centre and the organised way it was targeted has inevitably led to fears about the possible involvement of loyalist paramilitary elements.
It is essential that the authorities and the wider population should stand shoulder to shoulder with the victims, and the early indications have been encouraging.
The first and deputy first ministers, Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill, sent out a joint statement condemning the arsonists as `despicable’, while police have appealed for the information from the public which will help to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Perhaps the most encouraging response has come from the ordinary citizens who had donated over £60,000 by yesterday as part of a campaign to restore the association's base and to decisively reject racism in all its sinister forms.
