Thousands of people gathered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday for an anti-racism demonstration following days of unrest that saw homes, businesses and vehicles attacked across parts of the city.
The violence erupted earlier in the week after footage of a knife attack in north Belfast, which left a man seriously injured, circulated widely on social media.
A suspect has since been charged with attempted murder.
The “Together Against Hate” rally began around 13:00 at Belfast City Hall, with several roads closed by police to accommodate the large turnout.
Political parties, trade unions and community groups joined the protest, while demonstrators carried banners reading, “Strike back against racism”, “Refugees welcome” and “Riots don’t speak for Belfast”.
The event was organised by United Against Racism, while a similar protest also took place at Londonderry’s Guildhall, organised by United Against Racism – Derry and North West.
Chants of “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here. Who is Belfast? We are Belfast” echoed through the crowd as the demonstration got underway.
Addressing supporters, United Against Racism Belfast chairperson Ivanka Antova condemned the recent violence.
“This week we witnessed something we will never forget. The scenes of families and young children fleeing their homes in terror.
“We’ll never forget how rich and powerful people used their online platforms,” she said.
Antova also expressed sympathy for the victim of last week’s stabbing before condemning the unrest that followed.
“The whole world watched Belfast in horror,” she said.
“There is nothing legitimate about racist pogroms, and racism has no place in our city.”
She praised volunteers who helped affected families during the disturbances, saying solidarity should also be extended to those “who evacuated people, provided meals, and reassured frightened communities”.
Irish Congress of Trade Unions representative Carmel Gates commended frontline workers who responded during the unrest, including healthcare staff, firefighters, bus drivers and teachers.
“I got a call from a government minister who asked what he could do. The only practical thing that Westminster can do is provide money to tackle the poverty that fuels racism,” she said.
She also directed a message at far-right groups.
“My message to the far right was to ‘get out of our communities’.”
“We will not stand for you in our communities,” she said.
“We have had enough division in this community, we have had enough sectarianism and we will not tolerate racism.”
Gates later led protesters in chanting: “Worker’s rights are migrant’s rights, same struggle, same fight.”
Some speakers criticised both the police and Northern Ireland’s political institutions, arguing that refugee women and local organisations had largely coordinated support efforts for affected communities.
Police said 23 arrests have been made so far in connection with the disorder. Seventeen people have been charged, five released on bail and one individual reported to the Public Prosecution Service.
Among those addressing the crowd was Elaine Crory of the Women’s Resource and Development Agency, who insisted the violence did nothing to protect women and girls.
“Nothing about this violence supports the safety of women and girls in our community,” she said.
Crory added that many people attended the rally out of “disgust and rage”.
Several attendees also spoke about why they joined the demonstration.
Mohamed Eltayeb, who has lived in Belfast for nearly two decades, said peaceful protest was the proper response to anger.
He described Saturday’s gathering as reassuring, adding that it made him “feel more relaxed” after seeing “overwhelming support” from politicians, trade unions and residents.
Manal Mahdi, originally from Sudan and living in Northern Ireland for the past 10 years, said she initially feared attending the rally but later felt comforted by the support around her.
She said the event gave her the “reassurance” she was hoping for and that she no longer felt “rejected in this community”.
Mahdi added that many children had been left “traumatised” and “stressed” while trying to complete school exams during the unrest.
Describing the week’s events, she said they were “beyond description” and “startling”.
Raied Al-Wazzan of the Belfast Islamic Centre said he joined the rally to “tell all ethnic minorities that they are welcome in Belfast”.
Although he acknowledged experiencing “a lot of hatred in the streets recently”, he said Saturday’s rally showed “a lot of love”.
Al-Wazzan also pointed to acts of kindness carried out by local residents during the violence, including people delivering food and helping workers travel safely.
Having lived in Belfast for almost 40 years, he said race-related incidents had increased, though he stressed that “at the same time there are a lot of good people out there”.
The unrest followed Monday night’s knife attack in north Belfast. Hadi Alodid, 30, originally from Sudan, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder after Stephen Ogilvie sustained serious injuries.
While many demonstrations during the week remained peaceful, violence broke out in several areas as masked groups took to the streets.
Although the disorder was confined to certain parts of Belfast and other towns, schools and shops across Northern Ireland closed early, while public transport services were suspended.
Police have since released images of several individuals they want to identify in connection with the disturbances.
