Belfast violence: an uncomfortable reminder of the innocent people burnt out during the Troubles

The images coming out of Belfast overnight on Tuesday were shocking. Violent unrest erupted in the north of the city after a man was seriously injured in a knife attack and a Sudanese migrant was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. British far-right agitators including Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (also known as Tommy Robinson) wasted no time in race-baiting. They encouraged angry white men and boys to take to the streets and vent their fury. Many did. I live in Belfast, and in a hark back to the violence of our past, houses were set ablaze and families were left fleeing for their lives. People identified as migrants (often merely people of colour) were singled out as targets. Road blocks were put in place across the city, reportedly patrolled by “loyalist” vigilantes. Migrant-owned businesses were shuttered and others were set ablaze. People trying to travel to or from work were prevented from doing so. Youth groups were cancelled. There is a legacy in Northern Ireland of people being burnt out of their houses or being forced from their homes as a result of sectarianism and communal hatred. As a result of the outbreak of what has become known as the “Troubles”, some 45,000-60,000 people suffered a similar fate, becoming what many refer to colloquially as “burnt out”. Niall Gilmartin and I have conducted the only detailed analysis of this displacement, interviewing over 80 victims and survivors, documenting their stories in our 2023 book, Refugees and Forced Displacement in Northern Ireland’s Troubles. While the historic inequality between Protestant and Catholic in the north of Ireland has in many ways been resolved under the power-sharing arrangement, we remain very much a society that is “comfortably segregated”. There are still issues around the lack of integrated education, and we still live in the shadow of physical barriers – the “peace walls”. Burning homes in Belfast were a stark reminder of the Troubles. SOPA Images Limited/Alamy Live News As Northern Ireland has transitioned away from its legacy of conflict and moved beyond the 1998 Good Friday agreement, it has attempted to open up and become more cosmopolitan, pluralist and diverse. But crucially, there is a legacy of failing to meaningfully address issues of violent forced displacement. While we in the north don’t want to be burdened by our violent history, it remains important. Those who were responsible for Tuesday’s attacks would do well to become more aware, to educate themselves on the causes of division, to get out of the social media echo chamber. They could also listen to the stories of those who were “burnt out” in the past. The spread of online hate It’s hard to get away from the clear influence of online racial hatred, spreading in from the toxicity of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and especially X. White supremacy is becoming increasingly amplified online, and getting a political platform under the likes of US President Donald Trump. From Southampton to Southport, and as seen in Dublin in 2023, racial violence against migrant populations is part of a broader rise in the rightwing tide globally. In Northern Ireland, this drip-feed effect appears to be ingratiating itself within certain components of the loyalist community, leading to a horrible outpouring of racist, targeted attacks against people who live in these communities. Doctors, nurses, hospitality workers, colleagues and students. Our friends. By and large, those who were causing violence on the streets on Tuesday look for the most part to have been young kids. The political representation of the loyalist working class has, for decades, been terrible. The DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) in particular has failed to show proper leadership and done little to calm these tensions. It has consistently pursued a politics of negativity, rather than one that shows respect for plurality, diversity and inclusion. This has been clear, for example, in how the party has approached the Irish language or Irish heritage in general. There can be no space for placating violent white supremacy, masquerading as “concerned” (loyalist) citizens. The message – from politicians to the general public – must be clear and unambiguous. Belfast must move beyond the shadow of its violent past, reject racism and remain a city open, tolerant and welcoming to all.