Protesters condemned the scenes of anti-immigrant violence seen earlier in the week, which were in response to an alleged knife attack by a Sudanese refugee.
Thousands of people gathered in the Northern Irish capital Belfast on Saturday for an anti-racism rally.
An estimated 3,000 people demonstrated to denounce the violence seen earlier in the week in parts of the city.
The riots on Tuesday and Wednesday came after a video of a knife attack went viral. The suspect in the stabbing, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, has been charged with attempted murder.
Demonstrators condemn right-wing, racist violence
Protesters gathered outside the Belfast City Hall holding placards condemning the violence that saw groups of masked men set homes ablaze, torch vehicles and pelt police with bottles, bricks and Molotov cocktails.
Some in the crowd held placards with slogans such as “Hate is the only threat to our streets” and “Belfast stands against racism.”
“All it takes is for one person who’s not white and local to commit a crime and that fire of racism is rekindled,” Elaine Crory, a lobbyist from the Women’s Resource and Development agency, told the crowd.
The mayor of Belfast, Rois-Maire Donnelly, told protesters that a small minority could not be allowed to “spread fear… and hatred.”
Donnelly also said that she had received death threats this week.
Immigration has become a flashpoint topic in both the UK and has helped hasten the rise of the far-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.
While there may have been a peaceful atmosphere in Belfast, over in Glasgow, Scotland, an anti-racism march was met by a small contingent of men, with reports that some made Nazi-style salutes.
The anti-racism group responded by shouting, “Nazi scum off our streets.”
Glasgow police said the anti-racism protest passed “without major incident” and said that there was a “significant operation in place to ensure the safety of the public.”
What sparked the violence in Belfast and elsewhere in the UK?
A video of the knife attack, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as “sickening,” went viral, sparking a wave of anger across Northern Ireland and the UK.
The video showed a man repeatedly slashing at and stabbing another man lying on the ground in the neck and head.
The victim of the attack, a 44-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and remains in hospital.
The suspect, who comes from Sudan, made a court appearance on Wednesday and has been charged with attempted murder.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/belfast-thousands-denounce-violence-at-anti-racism-rally/a-77539568
