Belfast racist attack victim 'no longer feels safe'

The attack happened at a house in Lindsay Way, south Belfast

A man whose south Belfast house was attacked in what police are treating as a racially motivated attack has said he no longer feels safe in the city.

Bricks were thrown at Abdullah Almasri's home in Lindsay Way near Donegall Pass, smashing the front windows of the house on Wednesday night.

Officers on patrol were flagged down by a member of the public just before 22:00 BST and were alerted to the incident.

Mr Almasri who was inside at the time was left uninjured but shaken, and now said he feels his life is at risk.

“I am not safe here," he told BBC News NI.

"Yesterday it was broken glass, maybe tomorrow I will die.

"And maybe people won’t know I am dead as I live alone."

'Disgusting and disgraceful'

Mr Almasri said he had been living in Belfast for seven months and "felt safe here, but after the attack I am feeling stressed and nervous”.

“Northern Ireland is a beautiful place and not everyone is racist, but in this area it is hard to stay," he added.

"I am feeling afraid, stressed and worried [that] tomorrow I will die."

Police described the attack as "unacceptable".

They have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the attack or have CCTV footage of the incident to contact them.

It comes after a number of racist attacks on people and property in Northern Ireland in recent weeks, which were followed by large anti-racism protests last weekend.

South Belfast assembly member Deirdre Hargey, of Sinn Féin, called the Lindsay Way attack "disgusting and disgraceful".

“In huge numbers last week, Belfast turned out to reject racism and hate, and to demonstrate that we are for inclusivity and diversity," she said.

“Hatred and discrimination will not win. The small minority involved in these attacks do not speak for our city and its people."

'No qualification or excuses'

SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said the attack was "deeply disappointing"

SDLP Botanic councillor Gary McKeown said that "after a few days of relative calm in our city it's deeply disappointing to see another racist attack on a home in south Belfast".

He added that "far too many members of our community are terrified after what has happened recently, and the ongoing pattern of intimidation that has been going on for years".

"Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure. Those behind this attack have no support.

"We need to see clear and unequivocal condemnation of this attack and others like it, with no qualification or excuses," he added.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said "this abhorrent and racist attack will be condemned by the vast majority".

He said it was "another stark reminder the threat that far-right thugs pose to migrants and religious and ethnic minorities".

"We must be constantly vigilant for racism in our communities and absolutely relentless in challenging it," he added.

Housing Executive hate incidents released

Meanwhile, 131 hate crime incidents have been reported to the Housing Executive in Northern Ireland in the last year.

The figures were outlined by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons during a visit to housing staff in Antrim on Thursday, one of the areas worst affected.

In the first week of this month, 22 incidents were reported.

The Housing Executive's chief executive Grainia Long, who accompanied the minister during his visit, said some staff fear for their safety following threats against them.

"When they're sometimes removing graffiti... when they're going out to do community cohesion work or indeed when they're allocating temporary accommodation, their concern first and foremost is for our customers and our tenants," she said.

"But fundamentally they did say very openly to both of us today that they are concerned. That they may be at risk.

"And I haven't heard that before as a chief executive and I've been for three and a half years."