Assault on two tourists treated as race hate crime

A generic shot of Belfast city centre, royal avenue area... Rows of shops with cars parked on pavements

Four people remain in police custody on Wednesday morning following the reportedly unprovoked assault in the city centre

An assault on two tourists in Belfast city centre is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Police said the two men were walking in the Royal Avenue area of the city at about 23:00 GMT on Tuesday when they were set upon and "punched and kicked repeatedly".

A 34-year-old man, a 28-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm, while a 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Four people remain in police custody on Wednesday following the reportedly unprovoked assault.

Belfast Area Commander, Ch Supt Jeremy Lindsay, said: "Thankfully, at this stage we don't believe that the men sustained serious injury.

"We're grateful that our CCTV operators saw this assault in progress and we were able to get officers to the scene very quickly.

"It's shameful that visitors to Belfast should be subject to such an attack."

Anna Bettess wears a black furry headband and has brown hair. She is wearing a blue hoodie and a grey and pink jacket. She is standing outside and there are people and a bus behind her.

Anna Bettess said she has found Belfast to be "absolutely brilliant"

Tourists and shoppers in the city centre on Wednesday told BBC News NI that despite the recent attack, they feel safe within the city.

Anna Bettess, from Preston, said she has found Belfast to be "absolutely brilliant" and the people have been "really friendly" on her first visit.

She added that she was "sorry to hear" about the tourists who were attacked but had not felt unsafe during her trip.

Tiffany wears a scarf and a dark coloured jacket. She has dark coloured hair tied up.

Tiffany, from Ontario, said she has been "pleasantly surprised" by the friendliness of Belfast

Tiffany, from Ontario, said she has been "pleasantly surprised" by the friendliness she has experienced on her trip to Ireland as she wasn't sure what to expect.

She said that it's "tough" to hear about the recent attack but it hasn't changed her perception of the city.

Kevin Wong wears a pink jumper. Erin Grant wears a cream jumper and has brown hair tied back. Sabine Doran wears a grey jumper and has blonde curly hair.

Kevin Wong, Erin Grant, Sabine Doran are visiting from Australia

Kevin Wong from Australia has come to Belfast for the first time and said he feels the city is "pretty safe" compared to other places.

Sabine Doran echoed Mr Wong's thoughts on Belfast and said everyone has been "pretty friendly" so far.

Anna is wearing a pink and purple hat and a black coat. She is standing outside Belfast City Hall.

Anna Brafful has been running a food stall in the city centre for three months

Anna Brafful runs a fast food stall outside Belfast City Hall and said she's had some "bad experiences" when people have said things to her when she's working but she feels it is "inevitable" that anywhere can have some anti-social behaviour.

She said she has found Belfast to be a "pretty safe space" and has felt "a lot of love" from the community.

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