Families flee Northern Ireland Catholic neighborhoods amidst bomb threats, intimidation

Several families in predominantly Catholic Northern Belfast neighborhoods have moved from their homes in response to what local politicians have identified as racist and sectarian attacks.

Local political leaders met Sept. 2 to investigate rising religious tensions in the Lower Oldpark area of the city, according to the BBC.

The intimidating behavior began in May, when masked men began stalking around the homes of Catholics and non-white residents. Many homes have been damaged, which has led some families to move at that time. As incidents escalated, more families decided to leave the neighborhood. 

One anonymous mother of four said her family had initially intended to stay; however, that intention changed after several adult males accosted and threatened her children while they were playing in a park. The men told the children that they were not allowed in the park and that if they did not leave the men would follow them home and throw pipe bombs through their windows.

“I was waiting years on a house, and then all the money I put into it too to get it done for me and the kids and had to leave,” a mother of four told the BBC.

She said they had “nowhere to go” and stayed with friends and family for two weeks before she could find a small apartment.

John Finucane, a member of Parliament for the Irish political party Sinn Féin, arranged the Sept. 2 meeting of local politicians and agency-leaders to discuss the issue.

“I want to see more people brought before the criminal justice system to send the message out that if you behave in a sectarian or racist way, there has to be consequences to those actions,” Finucane said at the meeting, according to the BBC.

Nuala McAllister, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland said that plans are in motion to fight sectarian issues like those in Lower Oldpark, but efforts are just beginning.

“There's still a lot of work to do. We've had commitments from the Housing Executive, the housing association and from the police, because it is very important that residents feel protected,” she said, according to the BBC.

The intimidation, threats, and violence seems focused on Catholic and non-white residents, but police are still investigating the connection between many different incidents.

One North Belfast mother who is originally from Nigeria, Sia Fey, was the victim of a racist crime Aug. 28. She told the BBC, “I’m not moving because I’m innocent.”