Yesterday, following a massive showing of anti-racist unity at Belfast City Hall, a small rabble of far-right and loyalist forces were allowed to wreak havoc, targeting Muslim-owned shops and carrying out racist attacks against minority communities in south Belfast. Despite assurances from PSNI leadership in the runup to yesterday’s well-advertised mobilisations, and despite the fascists’ small numbers, the far right were allowed free run of the streets, with the inevitable result that people were physically assaulted and migrant-owned shops burnt out and destroyed. This amounted to a shameful racist mobilization, openly targeted against our Muslim community. Given the ample advance warning, it is inexcusable that the PSNI left our most vulnerable neighbours at the mercy of far-right wolves.
Regardless of attempts in the mainstream media to present yesterday’s events as ‘clashes’ or simple expressions of ‘popular’ frustration, this was anything but. Fascists in Britain have been opportunistically causing mayhem in recent days around the tragedy in Southport; in Dublin their counterparts have been given free rein by the state, an approach that has led directly to the violence at Coolock. Yesterday, despite the overwhelming support for anti-racism shown across the city—some 70 trade union, cultural and community organziations signed on to the counter-rally—the far right were handed an opportunity they should have been denied. This despite their pathetic showing: only a few dozen turned up at City Hall, giving Nazi salutes and throwing fireworks and other debris at a massive crowd of anti-racists. Their ranks grew as word spread, with more racists joining them as the counter protest began to wrap up.
Imagine the marginalisation and fear that our migrant and Muslim communities would have felt if there had been no place to express opposition to their poison, or to show the solidarity of ordinary people across this city. Yesterday was another important lesson in the need to take a stand against the far right, and to reject the counsel of those who argue against anti-racist mobilisation under the mistaken belief that the fascists will just disappear.
What took place after yesterday’s protest follows a pattern of loyalist paramilitary targeting of small shops owned by members of the Muslim community, a community who refuse to bow to bullying and intimidation. They were assisted by so-called ‘patriots’ from the south of Ireland, who wrap themselves in the tricolour but who are up to their necks in collaboration with loyalism, and with the British and global far right.
The PSNI must immediately be held to account for their abject failure to offer any protection in the face of widely anticipated attacks. The contrast with the way police here and across the water have treated Palestine solidarity marches is striking. Can anyone imagine a situation where marchers carrying trade union banners approached buildings with the intent to burn and destroy? The PSNI’s double-standards around racism—obvious to anyone who took part in the Black Lives Matter mobilisations here—were on clear display again yesterday. They feed the far-right narrative by playing on onging role in implementing a ‘hostile environment’ policy that treats asylum seekers as criminals. The “gold” response promised by PSNI command melted in the face of the fascist assaults: the police forced people to fend for themselves, allowing fascists to run amok targeting restaurants, racial minorities and anti-racist protesters with fireworks. The lesson should be clear: the PSNI cannot be depended upon to defend our minority communities from far right attacks.
Yesterday’s anti-racist protest saw a large and diverse crowd from across Belfast turn out at 48 hours’ notice to defend our neighbours. This should give people comfort and heart that we vastly outnumber the racists. What was missing, however, was any collective or wide-ranging mobilisation from the official umbrella group of the trade union movement. NIC-ICTU represents hundreds of thousands of workers: north and south of the border, the trade unions have a special responsibility to mobilise their members against the far right. Union branches and individual trade unionists have stepped up; they deserve the same from their leadership: we are long past the point for timidity and evasion. In an urgent situation NIC-ICTU should now take the lead in mobilising against the fascists. People Before Profit call on them and on delegate unions to support all anti-racist mobilisations and throw their resources and funds behind building a people power movement against racism. We are proud to have a strong track record in fighting fascist and far-right protests. If we are to defeat their poisonous ideas, we cannot do it alone. That’s why we are calling on all organisations to mobilise against the far-right filth, to support our Muslim community and everyone who calls this place home, regardless of their birthplace. Against the fascists’ attempts to divide us; against the mainstream politicians’ attempts to appease the bigots, our message is simple: All who live here belong here.