A chill is running down the spines of Belfast's minority ethnic communities, as a sinister online list threatens to upend their lives. Circulated across social media platforms during the recent spate of violence, this compilation of addresses – alleged to be properties housing immigrants – has left residents fearing for their safety and security.
Joseph and Solomon, two Eritrean refugees with leave to remain in Belfast, live on a street where one of the listed properties is located. Joseph's conviction that their home was the intended target is stark: 'It’s obviously for us.' He describes feeling numb, overwhelmed by the situation, saying, 'When something is too much, you don’t feel anything.' This sense of security has been shattered, and both men are now planning to leave Belfast in search of a safer haven. Joseph, an interpreter, had previously felt secure in his community, while Solomon, who works for a manufacturing company, fears attending work will put him at risk.
The impact of this circulating list is evident in the stories emerging from the community. Paul Doherty, who runs a south Belfast community solidarity hub, recounted the distressing case of a mother who arrived at his centre in hysterics after discovering her house had been included on an online post. Her children had seen the post and were too upset to return home. As a result, concerned neighbours are reportedly quietly monitoring each other's safety, with Doherty suggesting that some targeted homes may have already received threatening visits.
The climate of fear is further exacerbated by recent violent incidents. On Wednesday night, a mob attempted to attack a hotel housing asylum seekers, leading to clashes with police on nearby streets. The preceding night saw minority ethnic families forced from their homes, businesses looted and set ablaze, and vehicles torched. For Mohammed, who fled Syria in 2015 and manages a supermarket in a majority-loyalist area of Belfast, the attacks have been devastating. His children, born in Belfast, are now deeply distressed, with one son refusing to attend school. With their business destroyed, Mohammed is considering moving his family back to Syria or Egypt this summer.
Sultan, whose Syrian family owns the burned supermarket, described the helplessness of watching their family business engulfed in flames on the news. He noted that other houses were also set alight, and even emergency services struggled to respond amidst the widespread disorder. The ongoing violence and targeted nature of the online list have created an atmosphere of deep anxiety and insecurity for many minority ethnic residents in Belfast.