Child Injured in South Belfast Hate Crime

A child sustained injuries from broken glass after a substantial piece of masonry was thrown through a living room window of a family residence in south Belfast. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has characterized this incident as a racially motivated hate crime. The assault occurred at a house on Roden Street at approximately 19:40 GMT on Monday. A PSNI district commander commented on the incident, stating, “The child’s mother was also injured and the young family traumatised.” The commander further described the event as “an exceptionally serious incident which resulted in a young child being injured by shards of glass.” The official also remarked, “Those responsible for such racist violence bring nothing but shame on their local community.” Additionally, the commander highlighted that “the victims of this attack are working hard for their local community within the Health Service.” The officer indicated that local residents likely “know who was involved” in the assault and encouraged them to reach out to the PSNI. The appeal included the statement: “I am appealing directly to them to stand up against this hate by providing any and all information that will help us to stop this and bring those responsible to justice.” Claire Hanna, the MP for South Belfast and Mid Down, issued a condemnation of the attack. On X, previously known as Twitter, she posted: “Big tough guys in this city injuring little kids with glass, because of their race. Hard to find the words.” Matthew O’Toole, an MLA and party colleague, characterized the incident as “disgusting” and asserted that it does not reflect the south Belfast community. Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, he remarked, “A small child was injured here… we should all stop and pause and think about the society we live in.” He also called for an “enhanced” policing response to racially motivated offenses, stating his intention to “be pressing” for more robust legislation and “more severe punishments.” Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey released a statement, labeling the event as “an absolutely appalling and disgusting act.” She further declared, “Those involved in this sickening behaviour do not speak for the majority of south Belfast who are open, welcoming and champion diversity in all of its forms.” Danielle Pollins, a resident of Roden Street, expressed that the community felt “very concerned” by the occurrence. She stated, “It’s not something that happens here… we’re not racist in any way shape or form, not in this community at all, we welcome everybody.” Ms. Pollins added, “We’re very, very annoyed… it’s not acceptable, not at all.” She also extended her support to the child’s mother, who sustained injuries in the attack. Dr. Naomi Green, an advocate for Northern Ireland’s Muslim community, commented that the assault “should never be the lived experience of any person anywhere, let alone a child.” She further asserted that “These so-called ‘low level’ incidents have become normalised over the years, partly due to political failures to implement adequate hate crime legislation to tackle ongoing racism across Northern Ireland and failure to invest in communities to tackle misinformation and prejudice.” Dr. Green also noted that numerous areas in Belfast “now feel unsafe,” and that “too many people feel silenced and afraid to speak openly about it or to even seek justice and report incidents to the PSNI.” She concluded by stating, “While most people do not support this, until the underlying issues are resolved, racism will continue to be a pervasive and dangerous reality to ethnic and religious minorities, not only in South Belfast, but across Northern Ireland.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Details regarding their external linking policy are available.