As Belfast gangs went door-to-door seeking migrants, terrified residents said: 'I'm white'. Hordes of balaclava-clad rioters stormed through the Shankill Road area, leading families to take dramatic steps to protect themselves.
Witness Accounts of Chaos
White families flung open their front doors to prevent marauding gangs of thugs from torching their homes, a horrified witness has revealed. Hordes of balaclava-clad rioters stormed through the Shankill Road area in Belfast, going door to door looking for migrants. This led to the horrifying situation of every family in Ainsworth Avenue opening their doors to prevent their doors or windows being smashed. Protesters told white families “you’re okay”, this newspaper has been told, before moving on to the next homes.
Dorothy Evitt, 42, told the Daily Express of the chaos she saw on Tuesday night: “She’s shouting, 'I’ve got my kids in here, I’m white'. And I was like, what the… People were actually clarifying. Then we saw the doors going 'boom, boom, boom' as they were opening up.”
Ms Evitt said: “They were saying ‘you’re alright, you’re alright’. They knew what they were looking for. They had an agenda. They knew exactly where they were going. I could hear people shouting ‘close your doors, you are alright’. I thought they were heading to a road with a lot of HMOs. I didn’t support the violence. But the protests, I was happy. Migration has put such a strain on this area. It’s so bad. So bad. I have an 8-year-old daughter and she’s not allowed to play outside. Not with the amounts of groups of men. It’s been the worst two years of my life. What I saw last night is everyone has had enough and it will happen again, 100%.”
Political and Community Reactions
Cllr Ron McDowell added: “So what do you do if you are not white? An open wound on the Shankill Road is the HMOs. You will have five or six young lads in it from other parts of the world. Folk are getting charged £800, £900 for a two-up-two-down house in the Shankill. If there was a to-let sign, they targeted them. Their doors went in. They were trying to send a message to landlords about who they are letting the houses out to in the area. Where is the failure in the housing? It’s not with the people, it’s with the politicians. Politicians are creating the problems in these areas.”
Two Ugandan carers living in Ainsworth Avenue had to put on their work uniforms in a desperate bid to prevent them being targeted by the yobs. The police had concluded it was too dangerous to attempt an evacuation. “It was so, so, so terrifying,” said Sumayah Nakazibwe, 35, who came to the UK three years ago and works as a care assistant while studying for a diploma in adult health. After watching petrol bombs being thrown at a neighbour's home and seeing the flames begin to rise, she fainted from fear. “I wasn't feeling well because I couldn't believe my eyes,” she said.
A local pastor, Jack McKee helped them to escape after negotiating with 20 masked men armed with bricks. “It was horrendous to see these two women,” McKee said. “One of them had been lying on the ground totally traumatised, but we managed to finally get her up and six fire officers had to literally carry her out of the house.” Nakazibwe said she was considering returning to Uganda. “We are here legally,” she said. “I give my whole heart, I work, I am really dedicated to serving the community.” But the violence, she said, “really changed my mind”. She added: “Maybe it's high time I go home.”
Police Response and Continued Violence
The PSNI said those “stirring up young people” to engage in disorder need to stop. Speaking at a press conference at PSNI headquarters, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said: “Those who are maybe stirring up young people, getting them out onto the streets, bringing them out in masks to try and hide their identity. You need to stop that behaviour, because you’re going to put young people at risk of becoming part of the criminal justice system.” The officer said police would be “increasing our patrols in and around hospitals” to reassure healthcare staff concerned they may be targeted by racist mobs. He added that most of the injuries to police officers during the disorder have been “minor” and “most of them are straight back on the line where they want to be out protecting the public”.
Violence erupted for a second night in a row on Wednesday. Police used water cannons as officers were pelted with bricks and petrol bombs by balaclava-clad rioters in Co Antrim. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson told reporters the justice system “stands ready to give long sentences to those bringing disorder to our streets”. Footage showed dozens of men dressed all in black and wearing face coverings gathering on Antrim Road, where they could be seen tearing bricks from properties and smashing paving stones with sledgehammers to create projectiles to throw at police. They also broke into a derelict home and stole a classic Volkswagen vehicle before pushing it onto the street and setting it on fire. On Tuesday night, houses and cars were torched as gangs went door to door.
