“People are terrified and they are receiving no reassurances about what they should do and how they will be safe.”
A number of homes were attacked across Belfast(Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
A migrant healthcare worker who has made Northern Ireland his home has questioned if racist violence is something they will have to face every summer following a third year of attacks and disorder.
This past week has seen racist attacks take place at locations across Belfast and Northern Ireland for a third year in a row. The violence has left many immigrants fearing for their safety and not wanting to leave their homes with reports of a migrant nurse being chased by masked men as she went to work at the Ulster Hospital.
The violent disorder followed protests on Tuesday in the wake of a knife attack in North Belfast that left a man, Stephen Ogilvie, seriously injured.
Speaking to Belfast Live, a migrant healthcare worker who has made NI his home, said things have reached a point where people have had to leave the country until the situation calms down. He also said he has friends and colleagues who are considering leaving Northern Ireland for good due to the racist violence and that many immigrants feel they receive no support when faced with attacks.
He said: “Is this something we are going to have to live with every summer? This is the third year in a row now there have been racist attacks on immigrants and people are just going to leave because it is not worth it having to put up with this.
“Many of my colleagues and my wife’s colleagues who works in the care sector are immigrants and if they were to leave it would have a huge wide-ranging impact on so many parts of the health service and other areas. These people are now scared about how they will get home from work each night and whether it will be safe and this is just not a problem they would have anywhere else.
“People are terrified and they are receiving no reassurances about what they should do and how they will be safe.
“My wife is from here and it is where we wanted to raise our family, but even before this there were areas that I knew not to go to because I would get abuse, mainly loyalist ones. Recently though I have had incidents in nationalist areas and it is something I am beginning to see more and more of.”
The healthcare worker has written a letter to First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly calling for support and guidance for those who are ethnic minorities who are worried about their safety just going to work.
It says: “Dear First Minister and Deputy First Minister
“I appreciate your public condemnation of the recent disorder and intimidation affecting communities across Northern Ireland.
“However, as a member of an ethnic minority community, I am unclear what practical advice is being given to people like us. Are we expected to continue going to work, travelling, and participating in daily life as normal, or should we be taking additional precautions until the situation improves?
“One of the difficulties we face is that many of these protests and gatherings appear to be organised in a highly decentralised manner, often through social media and informal channels. This makes it difficult to distinguish between genuine and false reports, leaving many people unsure whether concerns about a particular area are credible or not.
“As a result, ethnic minority residents are often forced to make personal and professional decisions with very limited information. Many work in essential services such as healthcare, where simply staying at home or closing services is neither practical nor desirable for patients, employers, or staff. Yet in the absence of clear guidance, we can find ourselves caught between concerns for our personal safety and our professional responsibilities.
“I would welcome clear guidance from the Executive on what ethnic minority residents should do to stay safe, how we should assess potential risks, and what reassurance can be offered to those who are feeling increasingly vulnerable.
“Many of us have chosen to build our lives in Northern Ireland, contribute to society, and make this our home. We would appreciate a clear message that we can continue to do so safely and with confidence.”
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