Racist attacks: Police advised charity to reassure community

Two arson attacks at the BMCA building are being treated as hate crimes

A charity targeted in racist attacks had been advised by police to reassure loyalist community leaders it was not running a mosque.

The advice was uncovered in a secret recording, obtained by BBC Spotlight, of a meeting between the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association and police.

A justice expert described the approach as "community policing gone very badly wrong".

The PSNI said it takes the allegation "very seriously".

It said it is considering passing the programme's findings to the Police Ombudsman.

The October 2020 meeting was held in response to a number of vandalism incidents on volunteers' cars near the charity's premises on Donegall Pass in south Belfast.

Three months later, the listed building was set on fire.

'Protection money'

The chairman of the charity, Muhammad Atif, told Spotlight the intimidation, which included the smashing of car windows, had been so bad, he was prepared to pay protection money.

"We are a charity, for god's sake. I mean, if charities have to give protection money what world are we living in?" he said.

"And if I was given a chance I would have paid. Just for the safety."

But before he could do so, the listed building was deliberately set on fire in January 2021.

Members of the public raised money to help repair the roof of the former church building, before a subsequent arson attack in April 2022, which left the building unusable.

The site has since been put on the market for sale.

BMCA Chairperson, Muhammad Atif, pictured in the burned out centre on Donegall Pass

Mr Atif said he believed the BMCA had been failed by police.

In 2016, the charity had assured so-called community leaders that they intended to set up a community centre in the listed building, and not a mosque.

A group from the charity met police again in 2020 to address a spate of vandalism and intimidation.

One officer told volunteers that it was his perception that the community leaders felt they had been lied to in the 2016 discussions.

"Because they have now seen, since the sort of last three or four months, they've seen a lot more prayer mats coming in, I think the community think that they were lied to five years ago," he said.

"They think that what was said five years ago and the assurances that were given then were lies, and so then that has brought this tension."

"I think what we need, the solution that I see is that we need to give that reassurance back if it's possible."

Another officer in the meeting insisted they were not "blaming" the people who used the centre, saying it was up to the charity whether or not they wanted to speak to community leaders.

"We're talking about having a dialogue," she said.

"It's not about convincing them, it's about having an open dialogue with them."

'Escalating pattern of intimidation'

Daniel Holder, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, said instead of policing the racist attacks, which included the smashing of car windows and vandalism, police appeared to suggest the victims change their behaviour.

"There was an escalating pattern of intimidation that should have been nipped in the bud a lot earlier by enforcing the law against those involved in racist intimidation, not expecting the victims to change their entirely lawful and legitimate activities," he said.

Temporary Superintendent Finola Dornan told the programme the PSNI was "not comfortable" to learn that the BMCA had felt they were failed by police.

"This is new information that I have recently only become aware of and I can tell you that it is of concern and we take the allegations very seriously," she said.

T/Supt Finola Dornan is responsible for policing in south and east Belfast

"What we will do now is take some time to establish the facts and the surrounding circumstances with a view of passing that information to the Police Ombudsman's Office for their independent consideration and assessment."

Spotlight's findings were part of a wider investigation into racist intimidation and attacks in south Belfast.

Latest figures show that racially-motivated crimes have increased in the area by 110% in the past five years, compared to a Northern Ireland-wide increase of 26%.

The Rise of Race Hate is available now on the BBC iPlayer and will be on BBC One Northern Ireland at 22.40 GMT on Tuesday 5 December.