Ordinary people from across the city grouped together to help displaced families
People during an anti-racism rally outside Belfast City Hall in Belfast.(Image: © 2026 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)
After days of disorder and unrest across the city, with hundreds of people being forced to leave their homes, it was the response from volunteers and community groups that shows the real side of Belfast we can all be proud of.
The brutal attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie in North Belfast on Monday, June 8, was rightfully widely condemned. It was a disgusting attack, with the horrifying video of the incident shared quickly on social media.
It sparked days of unrest right across the city, much of it aimed at people just as horrified at the attack as anyone else. The following disorder made global headlines, with news organisations around the world sending journalists to Belfast to cover what was unfolding.
The scenes of anti-immigration propaganda and widespread rioting were shameful. Houses, cars, and businesses were set alight, simply due to the fact that the people associated with them had a different skin colour, or were originally from a different country.
But while these scenes continued, volunteers and community groups mobilised to do what they could to help those who were displaced and scared. Over 500 people have been supported by volunteers and community groups over the past week alone.
This support ranged from help with housing, volunteers delivering groceries and medicines to those too afraid to leave their homes, providing lifts to workplaces, and the opening of community play spaces.
Many ordinary local people, wanting to help but not sure what to do, opened up their spare rooms to people who were displaced. Therese Gorman was one of those people, who hosted a girl from Somalia, a girl from Nigeria, a lady from South Africa, and a family of four from Sudan.
She said: “Honestly it was a pleasure and a privilege to host and help out. From my near despair after Tuesday’s rioting, I immediately felt lighter and more hopeful once I was able to help.”
Last Wednesday, Glór na Móna in West Belfast opened the centre’s doors to 15 men from Somalia overnight, and on Sunday hosted over 70 families who had been burnt out or intimidated from their homes for a family day.
A fundraiser started by community group Anaka Women’s Collective raised a whopping £150,000 in just 24 hours, and is now up to around £250,000, with all funds going towards providing urgent help for displaced families. Many of those donating to the fundraiser and sharing it on their social media feeds reiterated their wish to help in any way they could.
The Belfast Community Solidarity Fund, started by Ruchira’s Supper Club supported by Still I Rise Stories, raised over £15,000 to support those impacted by the disorder. Their community response also included over 75 volunteers who signed up to deliver home cooked meals, groceries, and essential food supplies to people unable to safely leave their homes amid the unrest.
Commenting on the amazing community response, Orla McKeating from Still I Rise Stories said: “This is what Belfast is about. This is who we are.
“Together, we can show that Belfast is stronger than division, stronger than hate, and stronger when we stand united.
“This is what community looks like. A community fed by kindness is stronger than a community divided by fear.”
On Saturday, June 13, thousands of people took to the streets outside Belfast City Hall to prove this point. We are a city full of generous people, we can rise against hate, and are certainly stronger when we stand united.
Even Stephen Ogilvie’s family, in the wake of the horrific knife attack against him, said they were “disgusted” by the riots that had been taking place across the city.
In a statement on June 11, his family said: “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”
Over the years, our city has faced enough division and hardship to last a lifetime. We are stronger when we come together and work together, and the positive scenes from our communities over the past week are testament to this.
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