Letter: We need to see leadership in Northern Ireland against racism and demand investment in all our communities

I am hoping these words land with those who have felt compelled to protest and the minority who have engaged in violence against people and businesses, and I would also like to see more done to protect those communities that have been targeted.

This is a call for leadership within those areas where the violence has come from within Belfast, and for people to stand up against violence, racial prejudice and discrimination and hatred of all kinds.

We need the coming together of civil society in terms of churches, faith communities, sporting organisations to condemn all forms of racism.

We need to push government to do a lot more to invest in healthcare, education, jobs, and to demonstrate, they are listening to those communities that been misrepresented by a small and well-organised minority.

Some in the local media were speculating about some new cross-community ‘united Ireland, united in racism’ phenomenon. And as someone from north Dublin near Coolock, I know the ‘Coolock Says No’ banner that was unfurled at City Hall on August 3, does not represent the majority of those working class communities.

And how do those who did stand outside City Hall justify the flying of an Israeli flag alongside someone doing a Nazi salute? How do they justify the pogrom against ethnic minorities and asylum seekers in attacking businesses and hotels in south Belfast?

We have to recognise that most of those in the communities from which the violence came are not inherently racist nor support what has happened, but many in those communities are afraid of saying anything publicly.

However, we do also have to recognise that there are fascists and racists amongst us, particularly in communities enduring the coercive control of loyalist paramilitaries.

It is a reasonable assumption, based on what the PSNI have publicly said that the violence is encouraged by a few very powerful and wealthy individuals also – generally, men who do not have to live in the areas experiencing the violence and intimidation, or facing the prospect of a criminal conviction.

The inflammatory statements of the new owner of Twitter/X is a perfect example, with his disgraceful statement that ‘Civil war is inevitable’.

He is nothing but a spoilt billionaire who seems to enjoy provoking racially motivated division from the safety of his gated community mansion, far from the burning embers of migrant-owned Belfast businesses.

Having attended many of the anti-racist demonstrations and mobilisations over the past week, the most worrying thing I have witnessed is in relation to children.

Children are being taught hate and discrimination and hearing children chant racism and proudly express prejudice to others because of their skin colour or ethnicity is something that pains me as an educator, a father and a member of this society.

It has been a tense, anxious and exhausting week in Belfast. I am confident we will not be divided by class, race or sectarianism. The ‘people united will never be defeated’, and Belfast has come together to face down these violent and unjust threats before.

However, there has been a noticeable exception of unionist political leaders and representatives of the loyalist community, with a few notable exceptions such as the Reverend Bill Shaw and former PUP leader John Kyle and an anonymous woman writing for Her Loyal Voice.

I would like to quote some of it as I think it has been one of the finest examples of leadership that I have witnessed in the past week-

“Loyalism is a class based political ideology based on four key principles. These include; material wellbeing, civil and religious liberty, and equal citizenship. If these principles mean anything at all they must mean that asylum seekers, refuges and migrants are welcome. We want our migrant and minority ethnic neighbours, in particular our Muslim neighbours to know that we stand four-square behind their right to be here, to live in safety, and to make this country their home. If you are from a migrant background we want you to know that we are proud you chose to make NI your home and thankful you chose NI to contribute your talents and energies to.”

We must ask of those who say they have ‘legitimate concerns’ about immigration, those who say ‘Ireland is full’, or that Belfast is being ‘overrun with hordes’ of refugees, immigrants and illegal migrants: where were they when we were standing on the streets protesting against government welfare cuts? Where were they when we were demanding more affordable social housing? Where were they when we were defending the bus passes of the over 60s from being taken away? Where were they when we were protesting against the increased in tuition fees for university students, which particularly affect working class students?

What we need is everyone (especially unionist leaders) coming together to demand investment in all our communities. Education for all. Housing for all. Healthcare for all. Jobs for all. A Belfast for all. We need to replace the anti-immigration slogan ‘enough is enough’ with ‘enough for all’.

Let’s all be kind to one another

John Barry, Professor of Green Political Economy