Health workers left terrified by nights of violence, with authorities telling foreign workers: 'You are welcome here'
Vital health workers have been left frightened and vulnerable by four nights of violence, the man in charge of the system in Northern Ireland says.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt’s words came as leading medics jointly moved to reassure foreign staff they are wanted and welcome in the province, after anti-immigration protests exploded into violence, attacks on homes and police, and acts of vandalism.
It’s widely acknowledged the NHS would collapse without large numbers of foreign workers, and the health sector employs a substantial amount of people from abroad to fill positions in Northern Ireland.
Statistics show that over the last nine years more than 1,700 nurses have been recruited from other countries to work here, while almost 7,800 people from outside the UK or Ireland are currently registered in social work or social care in the province.
During the this week’s disorder, many foreign workers in flashpoint areas took to placing signs in their windows reinforcing they’re health sector staff, hoping to fend off attacks on their homes.
Despite last night seeing a reduction in disorder overall, rioting in Portadown saw 22 police officers injured over a number of hours, while an arson attack on a young family’s house in Coleraine is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime.
Protests in Belfast were mainly peaceful, though roads were blocked in the Templemore Avenue area of east Belfast and bricks thrown through the windows of two houses on Avoniel Road in a racially-motivated attack.
There was a protest at Carrick roundabout and a small fire at the Manse Road roundabout in Newtownabbey, while anti-immigration hate graffiti is being probed in Newtownards.
The Health Minister, who visited the epicentre of trouble in Ballymena during the week, now states that recent days have left “some members of our health and social care family feeling frightened and vulnerable”.
“The international recruits who arrive to work here across our health system provide an immensely valuable contribution to the delivery of health and social care services, and enrich our communities with their diversity,” he said.
“Internationally recruited colleagues [bring] their skills, experience and expertise to our health service. They are greatly needed, very much appreciated and highly valued. They are deeply welcome here and their health, safety and wellbeing are of paramount importance.
“People should be entitled to live in peace, free from harm and intimidation, and I stand against this reprehensible, racist and xenophobic behaviour.”
Meanwhile the heads of the province’s medical, health, nursing, dental, pharmaceutical and social work sectors issued a joint statement saying they wanted to “reach out to provide comfort and support to our friends and colleagues who have come here from outside of Northern Ireland”, adding they “go out to work each and every day, serving our communities with professionalism, dignity, kindness and compassion”.
Addressing foreign staff directly, they stated: “We know that, less than a year after similar scenes on our streets last summer, you are once again left feeling frightened and anxious.
“But please know this – you are welcome, you are deeply valued, and you have our full support. We are the better for your presence here. This behaviour is not representative of Northern Ireland, nor the people who live here.”
The statement went on to describe the “appalling and violent scenes” this week as “nothing short of shameful”.
“That people should be targeted and threatened simply because of their ethnicity, skin colour or cultural background is utterly despicable,” stated senior health officials.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and to live in a safe environment free from harm and intimidation. [We] condemn, in the strongest possible terms, these blatant acts of racist thuggery.”