Ursula Meighan Chairperson of the Workers Party Women’s Committee said the report highlighting that one in seven of those who took part in the Racist Attacks earlier in the year were reported to the police for Domestic Violence offences.

Ms Meighan said this latest report that one in seven of those taking party in the mindless thuggery and violence against migrants and their families. Must surely act as a myth buster and give the lie to those using the excuse that this hate fest was and is about protecting women and children. Even those who choose to believe this narrative to justify their cowardly behaviour when seeing women and children fleeing from burning homes must now realise their only motivation was hatred. These actions have nothing to do with protecting women and children.

These were not individuals who were concerned about social and economic inequalities, if it was the would have been joining in protests to fight against poverty, health inequalities, the multiple deprivations, and lack of public housing. All the issues most prevalent in working-class areas including the ones they were rampaging through.

Those from ethnic minorities in these communities are not to blame for the neglect of working class communities it is the fault of our politicians who have failed to deliver public services on which we depend.

Ms Meighan finished by saying, claiming to protect women and girls from migrants and refugees is the biggest myth of all. Most of the violence and abuse against them comes from men they know and are white and local. Stop doing a disservice to the very real problem of violence against women and girls by believing their false narrative. Racism, misogyny, sectarianism, homophobia, are all from the same hateful gene pool and has no place in our society.