Footage of vigilantes patrolling streets ‘chilling’, says councillor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70x185xyp3o

Footage of groups of men patrolling the streets of Belfast and confronting people from ethnic minority backgrounds is "chilling", a councillor has said.

It comes as videos circulating on social media show groups of men walking the streets of east Belfast at night and confronting members of the public and demanding documentation, often leading to angry confrontations.

The PSNI has described it as "racism pure and simple".

Speaking to the Nolan Show on Tuesday, councillor Séamas de Faoite said that he is concerned that someone is going to be injured or worse.

Police have said they are investigating an alleged assault on a man on Oxford Street in Belfast in July, adding that they do "not tolerate any type of vigilante activity and we would caution any individual or group against taking the law into their own hands".

The victim was taken to hospital to be treated for head injuries.

Police are also investigating another incident of "vigilante activity" following a protest outside a property in the Ravenhill Road area of east Belfast on Sunday.

It was reported that "a large crowd had gathered outside the house and had become hostile towards the residents" at around 11:00 BST.

Green Party councillor Brian Smyth told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme on Tuesday that the group's actions are "nothing more than racial intimidation".

He said there is a problem with "misdirected anger", and that many of of the people coming here are "working in the NHS and making this place their home".

Speaking on Tuesday, UUP MLA Jon Burrows said in his prior experience as a senior PSNI officer "vigilantes are always motivated by wanting to exercise power and control".

"That's why very many of them will have convictions in the past for domestic violence, animal abuse and those kinds of convictions."

He described these groups as a "menace to society" who are "not appointed, not elected, have no legal powers and are not subject to any accountability".

Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey said that "these so called vigilante groups do not represent our society, they simply want to control communities through violence".

"Political leaders have a responsibility to show leadership, call out racism and stand with the victims of this intimidation and violence," Hargey said.
'Living in fear'

The interim Victims of Crime Commissioner Geraldine Hanna told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme on Tuesday she found the footage "horrifying".

"Can you imagine walking through a public park, minding your own business and being approached by a gang of men, demanding to see your passport or your birth certificate?"

She said the actions of these groups are "creating victims and breeding fear".

"Across our communities, we have people from ethnic minority groups who are fulfilling really important roles in our society, but they're living in fear," she added.
Additional officers deployed

District Commander Superintendent Gavin Kirkpatrick said police are aware of the videos circulating on social media.

"I am very concerned about the actions of these groups," he said.

"Such activity is not protecting this community, it is attempting to control it. It is racism pure and simple."

Supt Kirkpatrick encouraged anyone who has been confronted by these groups to come forward and report it to police.

He added that additional officers will be deployed in east Belfast in the coming days.