HIAS+JCORE is deeply worried by recent events in Belfast and across the United Kingdom.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victim of Tuesday evening’s attack and their family. While details are still being confirmed, the reported information is profoundly disturbing.
However, it is contemptible that this shocking incident has been used to incite racist violence and stoke division.
Across Belfast, people and entire communities have been left terrified and subjected to appalling intimidation. The ugly scenes of houses and cars set alight – leaving many scared for their lives – have no place in our society. We express our solidarity to all those who were forced to flee or hide in their homes yesterday evening. No one should have to live through such fear.
Worryingly, such outbreaks of violence are becoming a repeated pattern. Be it Southport, Southampton, or Belfast, we are horrified that the far-right are seeking to exploit horrific events for their own hateful, dangerous agenda.
As an organisation guided by Jewish experience, we also recognise uncomfortable historic parallels in such unrest.
Our community perhaps understands more than most what it means to be made to feel unwelcome and marginalised. Today, we need to continue to stand alongside migrant and refugee communities who will be understandably distressed. People who have made the UK their new home must be able to live in peace and dignity.
Now, more than ever, is the time for responsible leadership, that makes clear there is no place in our national conversation for rhetoric which fuels tension and division. By speaking out against racism, and making a positive case for welcome, our politicians can help build a strong, cohesive society that is safe for all.
