Bullets and bombs were a part of life in the Belfast that Raied al-Wazzan moved to from Iraq in 1990, but he never felt threatened as a member of one of the divided region's tiny ethnic minorities. Now, after recent anti-immigrant riots, he says that's changed.

Belfast

Raied al-Wazzan, who moved to Belfast from Iraq in 1990, reports a significant shift in the safety felt by ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland following a series of anti-immigrant riots. These disturbances, which included attacks on police and the burning of migrants' homes, have left many residents fearful to leave their homes.

The violence began in Ballymena after two teenagers, whose charges were read through a Romanian interpreter, were accused of a serious crime. Experts and local leaders highlight the region's history of sectarian conflict, the role of paramilitary groups, and ongoing economic challenges as key factors fueling the unrest. Police data shows race hate crimes now outnumber sectarian offenses, underscoring the difficulties faced by Northern Ireland in integrating newcomers.

Legacy of past hangs over anti-immigrant violence in Northern Ireland

I must say, Vried Alwazan moved to Northern Ireland from Iraq in 1990 when bullets and bombs were a part of life in Belfast. The vice chair of the Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equity says until now he never felt threatened as a member of the divided region's tiny ethnic minorities. After a week of anti-immigrant riots that saw police attacked and the homes of migrants set on fire, he says things have changed. Alwazan spoke to Reuters at a Stop the Hate rally in Belfast. People are afraid to go out because there are violence almost now everywhere in Northern Ireland and they're scared to go out, you know, scared to go to work, scared to go to school and scared to go shopping. So people are staying in. The violence flared first and was most intense in Ballymena after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys whose lawyer told the court that they denied them. The eruption of street violence is particularly dangerous in Northern Ireland due to its legacy of sectarian violence and the lingering role of paramilitary groups. Between 1968 and 1998, more than 3,600 people were killed in a conflict between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists, predominantly Protestant pro-British loyalists and the British military. Patrick Corrigan is the local director of Amnesty International. We have a serious problem of endemic racist violence. Our time is fueled by paramilitary organizations which is a particularly sinister element in this part of the world where you have masked men who have recourse to violence to try to tell people where they're allowed to live and where they're not allowed to live. Segregation along sectarian lines remains common and the number of recorded race hate crimes is now double that of sectarian offenses. Police data shows immigration has historically been low in Northern Ireland where the years of conflict brought an insular society not used to assimilating outsiders. There are other factors at play too, said a Queen's University Belfast professor. The towns involved in the violence all have big economic problems, substandard housing and rely on industries that need an increasing migrant workforce. Ballymena resident Neil Bremeld said the town's diverse culture was welcomed but that there were problems with quote a select few. The people around here they've literally got a boiling point you know they've had enough the people they've been complaining for months and months leading up to this about the behavior but I don't agree with innocent people who are done nothing wrong they're being put out of their houses it's not it's not fair you know everybody has a right to live live and let live.

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