Queen’s University staff and students have claimed they are still concerned with their safety following race riots which gripped Northern Ireland as they criticise university leaders for not doing enough to protect them.
In an open letter and petition addressed to the university’s Vice Chancellor Sir Ian Greer, students and staff are calling on senior management to “create safe spaces and resources for students and staff in distress, with a particular focus on student accommodation”.
The group calling themselves ‘A Welcoming QUB’, have also called for a dedicated support unit to “proactively combat racism and xenophobia,” and the funding of multicultural events such as Black History Month, Eid, Diwali, and Lunar New Year.
“The riots that took place in Belfast in August 2024 have caused profound fear and anxiety among people connected with Queen’s University, not least our international staff and students, members of minority-ethnic backgrounds, and their families,” the open letter reads.
“Although this violence has fallen off the media’s attention, problems and fear remain.
“Staff and students are still apprehensive about their safety, with some altering their routines to avoid potentially dangerous areas, and others keeping their children under curfew.
“Fear is particularly acute for those who must traverse areas affected by the riots to reach their accommodations. Mention by politicians of a potential involvement of paramilitaries and of a risk to life has not helped.”
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A source close to the petition who is in a staff position at the university and who wished to remain anonymous said: “It’s not about ill-intention towards Queen’s, we just don’t think they’re aware of what is happening.
“We’re aware the wellbeing teams are still receiving feedback from students and staff every day about racism and incidents, and it’s about bringing this to light,” they said.
“People are worrying about publicly signing and publicly talking about it, because of how they feel about it — it’s sensitive.
“The asks in the petition are not large things, they can be done, and I feel the more the petition is brought to light, the bigger impact will have.”
Race riots gripped Belfast in August
The open letter added: “While we appreciate the Vice Chancellor’s August statement condemning the violence, we are concerned that the university has remained silent publicly since, and has not designed a pro-active program to deal with racism and the risk of further attacks, collective or individual.”
Currently, 45 people have been arrested and 35 charged, including an 11-year-old boy, amid violence and disorder which spread across Northern Ireland in August, following anti-immigration rallies in response to the stabbing of three girls in Southport, England.
In the midst of the violence, Sir Ian Greer released a statement which said Queen’s “abhors violence and condemns without reservation islamophobia, racism and xenophobia in all forms.”
When asked about the petition, a Queen’s University spokesperson said: “We are proud to welcome over 25,000 staff and students from over 90 countries.
“We have a number of initiatives in place to support our staff and students to feel safe and enjoy their time at university. This includes a number of projects specifically aimed at supporting people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
“We take our responsibility as a civic university seriously and would urge anyone with any concerns including signatories to the petition to contact us directly so that the right support can be put into place.”