Multi-cultural hub leaving Belfast premises after repeated hate attacks

A Belfast multi-cultural group has listed its South Belfast building for sale, after being torched twice within the space of 15 months.

The site has been used as a food and clothing bank, as well as a community hub. It serves the greater Belfast area, particularly helping to integrate minority ethnic communities into society in Northern Ireland

The building on Donegall Pass has been target of numerous hate crimes. Last year volunteers had their car windows smashed

Police treated the attacks in January 2021 and April 2022 as hate crimes but no one has ever been arrested or charged in relation to the offences.

Belfast Multi-Cultural Association’s the premises where volunteers were stockpiling and distributing food for the vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The local community say they are appalled at the attacks and fearful for the future of the charity.

Many volunteers have been left scarred by the experience and they are now too afraid to return to work. This means staff have been forced to operate out of their homes and garages to supply aid amidst a cost of living crisis.

Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International said "This is a dark day for Belfast"

“It is heart-breaking that, out of fear for their lives, the good people of Belfast Multi-Cultural Association have now been forced to sell up"

“Frankly, it is a disaster for our society that racist thugs have succeeded in burning them out — and have done so with total impunity."

“Racist hate crime is at an all-time high in Northern Ireland. Police figures show that 90% of racist hate crimes in Northern Ireland go unpunished. In that respect, the arson attacks on Belfast Multi-Cultural Association are sadly no different to the hundreds of racist crimes which are inflicted every year. "

“Minority ethnic communities here have every right to feel let down by the police."

“I know that BMCA will build again. Wherever they make their new home, we will be blessed with their presence, as is the whole city of Belfast.”

BMCA trustee Muhammad Atif said shutting up shop has not been an easy decision to make.

"After the first arson attack we had great hopes that we could return to the building and further develop our plans for the centre. The tremendous support and donations from the wider community really inspired us and we could see a shared future.

"Sadly, just hours after the repairs were completed a second devastating arson attack was carried out. Whilst the racist and islamaphobic attack was condemned by many, the result has left us speechless and we have made many attempts to engage in shared dialogue but we were met with a wall of silence. This has been deeply discouraging."

"After considering all the incidents and after considering that nobody has been caught, nobody has been put behind bars, we can't have our volunteers or service users put in the position where they don't feel safe coming to the building."

In a statement, the PSNI said detectives investigating the arson attacks have exhausted all active lines of inquiry and have renewed their appeal for information adding that any reports of hate crime are taken very seriously.