Teenagers charged with NI attacks

Two teenagers were charged in connection with the racist attacks on Romanian families in Belfast.

Two teenagers were charged in connection with the racist attacks on Romanian families in Belfast.

A 15-year-old and 16-year-old were each charged last night with provocative conduct, and the 15-year-old also with intimidation of Romanian families.

The pair are due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning, said a police spokesman.

They were arrested on Friday during police operations in the south of the city in the wake of vandalism and attacks on the homes of Romanian migrants which forced 22 terrified families — 115 people including 49 children — to seek refuge in a church hall on Wednesday night.

The Romanians were later given temporary accommodation in student flats in the University area of the city.

The racist attacks provoked revulsion across Northern Ireland and yesterday several hundred people attended an anti-racism rally in the centre of Belfast.

The Romanian families forced to flee their Belfast homes were still so terrified that they wanted to back go home, a local politician said.

Most are already preparing to get out of Northern Ireland, South Belfast MLA Anna Lo told the rally.

Ms Lo told the gathering the migrants who had arrived in Northern Ireland a year ago looking for a better life were too scared to stay.

"The majority are making preparations to go back to Romania," she said. "I think this is a very sad picture for Northern Ireland, that we can't protect people who have come seeking a better life.

"So many of them liked it here, they like the people here, they like their jobs — but what happened in the last few days makes them fearful of staying here."

The Alliance Party MLA said the families had been getting calls from relatives back home urging them to return.

"Sadly I think most if not all want to return as soon as possible."

Trade unions, churches, political parties, Amnesty International and even the traveller community gathered to support the Romanians.

Patricia McKeown of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said: "We cannot accept this happening to anyone in our society, particularly those who are the most vulnerable and who have come here because they are fleeing repression in their own country and across Europe."

Ms McKeown stressed: "No migrant worker caused the economic recession, no migrant worker stole a job off any Irish or British worker."

Barbara Muldoon of the Anti-Racism Network said the racist attacks had to stop and said the message needed to go out that if any of the Romanians wanted to stay the community would stand shoulder to shoulder with them and do everything in its power to make sure the attacks stopped.

She said: "Your children deserve to go to bed and not to feel fear that some racist thug is going to take a brick in their hand and throw it through the window.

"You deserve to walk the streets of this city without being spat on, you deserve the respect all of us deserve."

Her second message was to the racists: "You do not speak on behalf of the people of Belfast or Northern Ireland, your shame is not our shame."

Ms Muldoon said she rejected headlines that Belfast was the race hate capital of the world and people were ashamed.

She said: "We are not ashamed, we are absolutely bloody furious at what you have done to our neighbours. We reject any notion that somehow the Romanian nationals who live in this community are responsible for social deprivation, responsible for a lack of public housing, responsible for a lack of jobs.

"The responsibility for that lies in Stormont and lies in Westminster."

PA