A popular Belfast busker has spoken of his disappointment at the deterioration in Belfast city centre after he was assaulted while performing.
John Garrity, who is from Trillick in Co Tyrone, said it is six years to the day that he moved to Belfast.
It was an anniversary he wanted to celebrate by posting to his followers online, but Saturday’s events spoilt the occasion.
“The city centre is a pure dump,” he told the Belfast Telegraph, “I don’t blame people for not going into it any more.”
Commenting on the attack, he said: “It went on for about a half hour or more.
“Everything was going grand, I was out for a couple of hours. I was over talking to people who would stop with me all the time to chat about music or where I’m playing.
“A visibly intoxicated man then grabbed the microphone. I took it back off him, because I have a rule with my mic that it’s only me who uses it because you never know whether someone might grab it and say something provocative; make sectarian or racist remarks.
“People from all backgrounds use and commute through the city centre, it’s a shared space.”
When the attacker was then asked to step away he became “very hostile, took his jacket off and put his fists up”.
John explained that he has always been taught to show restraint, to “keep my hands in my pockets no matter how many clouts you get.”
The man punched John on the side of the head, he explained, then pushed him.
The musician attempted to laugh it off and didn’t want children who were watching to witness a fight.
In order to diffuse the situation, John walked away to speak to individuals he knows again.
The drunk man left but returned ten minutes later, when he charged towards John and “hit the bottom of my chin”. He was also kicked a number of times.
John backed away as he knew the man was heavily intoxicated and “didn’t want to get involved”.
Since the incident John has received “hundreds and hundreds of messages” from well-wishers.
He was however forthright when it comes to his views on Belfast city centre and how it has deteriorated since he first moved six years ago.
“Belfast city centre is done, “ John said. “There are no police about the city centre, nobody to turn to.
“Security on doors can only do so much. This sort of anti-social behaviour is ongoing in the city centre.
“There’s been an unbelievable decline. It’s sad. The Belfast I moved to years ago is unrecognisable; totally different. No police, no support.”
He posted online after the incident questioning whether it is time to “start hitting back?”
The busker can only recall one other occasion did he encounter physical violence and that involved two homeless men.
Preparing to perform again on Saturday night, John said he was left feeling “like a zombie” with lots of thoughts running through his mind about the assault.
While troubled by the incident, he says Belfast is a place he “enjoys” and with the support he has received just wants to “get on with it”.
The PSNI was contacted.
by RemielMonroe
10 comments
And this is why music venues have paid security.
The north *IS* a shitehole & Belfast its capital ..
The People are decent but the constraints the people have been forced to live under cause them to lash out!
& who can blame them? ..
He’s not wrong. Ever seen the state of that McDonalds on the weekend. Cops should be on patrol more often especially when antisocial behaviour is expected.
Is this Jelvis? Poor guy whoever it is, can guarantee virtually nothing will happen to the wee meth head. Probably a year in prison then straight back out to a halfway house to go do some more crimes
You can see little flickers of revival throughout the city centre but over the past couple of years there’s definetly been a rise in anti-social behaviour and a distinct lack of action by the police. Unfortunately this isn’t a unique situation, Dublin is dealing with very similar issues and at least they have the benefit of the Guarda not being a politcal tinderbox.
We desperately need more competent and efficient representatives who want to improve the city instead of mope and weep on facebook haha
I genuinely like buskers and will always stop and listen then throw a tenner in if it catches me. Good music does that and everyone has to start somewhere. Give me 10 buskers for a million preachers and I’ll find a strange religion that isn’t what them cunts are selling.
Complete lack of police and any that are there do nothing about the drunks and public drug use
When a busker is telling you Belfast city centre is a dump maybe it’s time to listen. I wonder what has changed this last ten years or so.
Appreciate that he shouldn’t have been assaulted, but I avoid going over that part of the town to avoid the incessant noise of both him and other buskers, and also the religious maniacs. He blasts his singing far too loud and it’s a joke.
It causes this overdose of noise and the council are long overdue getting it sorted.
* PSNI need increased and sustained presence in the city centre.
* A zero tolerance policy on antisocial behaviour needs to be put in place and enforced.
* Politicians on all sides of the political spectrum need to support it regardless of whatever community the “wee angle who’s a good wee boy and never did naffin” comes from.
Of course we’re far too tribal to ever do that but that’s how we fix it.
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