Nigerian family flee home to due racists!

First it was in the Republic of Ireland which recently witnessed migrant families literally being driven out of their homes because of threats of racial violence and intimidation, now the same thing is occurring in Belfast, Northern Ireland where a Nigerian family for a second time have been subjected to a gang of racists turning up on his door demanding he leave his home.

Michael Abiona, stated it was ‘like a flashback’ three years ago when a gang of youths attempted to racially assault him and his family.

To protect his family from further potential threats of violence, Abiona has been forced to give up the house he was allocated in the Knocknagoney area of East Belfast .

In a very intimidating way a group of people men and women hurled abuse, whilst others held banners with the slogan, ‘Local houses 4 local people’.

Abiona stated that:

Back in 2011 a similar group involving boys were throwing stones and bottles at me as I passed by in the street. They then chased me down the street carrying iron rods hurling threats."

Only for a good neighbour who saw what was going on and came out to take me inside his house and stand up to these youths, I would have been badly beaten up or worse."

He continued:

I am just worried about the atmosphere after this latest incident. The people protesting told me it was nothing to do with racism but I asked them why, if they have a grievance about housing in the area, are they picking on me?

It might be indirect racism at best but it was very much direct intimidation. I tried to tell them that I am not the one who judges who gets a house and who does not. Actually, they knew nothing about... the fact that I have lived in Belfast for four years and the UK for eight. "

I attended a recent conference in Belfast organised by The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities. They highlighted that there has been a massive increase in race hate crimes in the last few years. One organiser suggested that racial hatred and intimidation is occurring on a daily basis.

Whether it’s England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the anti-immigrant, ‘let’s blame them for everything’, is literally putting lives at risk.

SimonWoolley