BELFAST: A week of racial unrest in Northern Ireland, fueled by riots in English towns and cities, looks set to end, with fears of a sectarian divide in the The UK region is moving towards violence.
“They burned everything, there was nothing left in it, just ashes,” said Bashir, whose main shopping center in Belfast was set on fire during the attack on foreign shops and businesses.
A mosque in a town near Belfast was also targeted last Friday.
“We are afraid of what could happen next, there is a lot of hatred towards the Muslim community,” said the 28-year-old from Dubai, who did not want to give his full name for security reasons.
Northern Ireland has seen nightly unrest, particularly in pro-UK communities, which began after anti-immigration protests in Belfast on August 3.
The violence mirrored unrest across England, sparked by false information circulating on social media about the suspect responsible for a knife attack in Southport on July 29 that killed three children.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said on Saturday that 31 people had been arrested during the unrest.
“At a fundamental level the Belfast attack is similar to the anti-immigration protests in white parts of England, the Republic of Ireland and other parts of Europe,” said Peter McLoughlin, a political professor. at Queens University Belfast.
“It is driven by racism and fear of others, but in Northern Ireland it is linked to sectarian political dynamics,” he told AFP.
Thirty years of violent sectarian warfare, known as the “Disruption”, ended in 1998, but tensions and conflicts between pro-UK Protestants and Catholic nationalists continue. supporters of Irish national unity.
Outside the smoky Bashir's Market in the bustling Sandy Row district of the inner city, British Union Jack flags fly from lampposts and murals adorn the walls. declares loyalty to the UK.
“Within loyalism there is a sense that has dominated the peace process in Northern Ireland that their community is being pushed back, that their community and their Britishness is under attack,” he said. McLoughlin's explanation.
Many loyalists feel that they “must oppose outsiders entering these areas, who are seen to be doing jobs and houses that are said to be Protestant, and are violating the community that once prevailed,” he added.
After last Saturday's anti-immigration protest, rioters swarmed the streets looking for foreign businesses to attack.
“What happened last week was crazy,” Yilmaz Batu, a 64-year-old Turkish chef who has lived in Northern Ireland for two years, told AFP.
“There's never been a problem before,” he said, sitting in the Sahara Shisha Cafe, one of the Middle Eastern and Turkish establishments near Sandy Row that was hit.
The Muslim Council of Northern Ireland said in a statement that “much of the violence was whipped up and fueled by misinformation and defamation on social media.”
“False and dangerous narratives” about Muslims who are “a minority in Northern Ireland” led to the attack, he added.
Northern Ireland has a low immigration rate compared to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
The 2021 census showed that around six per cent of the population were born outside the UK or Ireland, and around 97 per cent say their ethnicity is white.
The riots “have really shocked the wider community”, said Fiona Doran, president of the United Against Racism group which co-organized a solidarity protest in Belfast on Saturday.
The protest, which drew thousands of people, gave people the chance to “take to the streets to show that Belfast is a good city, a city that says no to racism and fascism,” he told the AFP.
At an anti-immigration protest earlier in the day in Belfast, around a hundred protesters carried British flags and placards reading “respect our country or leave!
Some chanted the name of Tommy Robinson, a notorious anti-Muslim agitator who has been accused of helping to fuel the unrest in the UK by regularly posting on social media about the incidents.
Nearby, behind a convoy of armored police cars, more than 1,000 protesters chanted “discrimination!”
Bashir told AFP on Saturday that he was not sure if he would reopen his supermarket.
“My question is: can we do it? If we are doing this, it is because of all the people who came to show us support,” he said after the solidarity event.
