The founder of a multi-cultural peacebuilding organisation in Belfast said he has “never seen this level of fear” when it comes to racism and hate crimes in Northern Ireland
Darren Ferguson set up Beyond Skin 20 years ago. Now a fully fledged charity, it uses music, arts and new media as a tool for cultural education and exchange in an aim to address issues of racism and sectarianism.
Beyond Skin was created in 2004, when NI had hit the headlines for being described by leading European publications as the “racist capital of Europe”.
While Mr Ferguson believes the majority of people here have come a long way from that, he said: “Belfast has always been two steps forward, one step back.
“What we’ve seen recently is incredibly worrying and sad for our city,” he continued.
“Everybody is terrified. I was brought to tears when I was listening to a mother today — she’s lived here all her life, she’s from the black community, and her children are scared to go out on the street and play with other children now. It’s a level of fear which I have never seen before, and I’ve lived here all my life.
“This does not represent Northern Ireland at all, but the problem is this minority is armed and causing violence and that fear is hard to counteract. People have hammers in their hands; they want to hurt people and that’s what is causing fear.”
Read more
Beyond Skin often works with asylum seekers, particularly from the Middle East and African regions.
Mr Ferguson said many of their stories are “horrific” already, without having to now face hatred in a country in which they often have no family or friends to rely on.
“Every single one of them seeking safety has the most horrific story and I don’t think we have a clue about how that feels. You are here in a country which does not have your first language.
“For example, Afghan women coming here — the Taliban are vicious and threatening, they’ve had to flee from that. And then they are facing this level of hatred.
“We have quite a number of people in Northern Ireland who served in Afghanistan, protecting girls going to school, so why would you not protect them here on your own shores? That doesn’t match up for me at all.”
PSNI given ‘special powers’ while Belfast businesses to close early as city gears up for potential disorder
The PSNI has said that there is “no doubt” that there was loyalist paramilitary involvement in recent rioting in Belfast. Mr Ferguson believes it is also important to be “sensitive” when generalising one community as a whole.
“We are one of the very few organisations that bring together people of ethnic minorities, people seeking refuge, and people from the loyalist community, making music. That’s ongoing and we have always embraced different communities and they’ve always worked together, through the arts.
“There are really high-calibre artists and musicians who have arrived, who want to contribute to our creative economies. I am just back from Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival in England with two Afghan girls.
“We’ve got to be clear that these are not anti-immigration protests; it’s racist hate violence we are seeing on the streets now. This is sheer racism.
“Paramilitaries and the far-right are very blurred, and Northern Ireland has a history of violence and intimidation from white paramilitaries. That’s the people we don’t want here. Everybody else is welcome. That distortion is crazy.
“I think we have to be really careful about how we tar communities with one brush. We’ve been working extensively with the loyalist community, which is very diverse like any community. There’s a few bad eggs in there, but a lot of good people, who have helped us out and offered homes for refugees.”