Brown Slams NI Violence As Romanian Immigrants Flee Homes

Gordon Brown has condemned the racist attacks which forced more than 100 Romanian immigrants to flee their homes in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Frightened men, women and children, including a five-day-old baby girl, had to take refuge in a local church on Tuesday night after they were targeted by thugs.

Many of the 114 victims have now vowed to quit the province for good after yobs threw stones at houses and smashed windows.

There were also reports that armed men told them to leave the country or face being shot.

At Prime Minister's Question Time, Mr Brown said: "I hope the authorities are able to take all the action necessary to protect them."

Up to 20 families caught up in the attacks spent the night at the City Church after evacuating their homes in the Lisburn Road area in the south of Belfast. They were given bedding and food.

In the morning, they were moved to indoor tennis courts in a council leisure centre, where they were got provisions.

The victims will now be temporarily re-housed in emergency lodgings. Student accommodation in the nearby Queen's University area is being made available for one week, it is understood.

Talks are being held between police, community representatives, politicians and officials from a range of agencies to draw up plans aimed at making the families feel safe to stay.

But a mother of two, who only wanted to be known by her first name Maria, said everyone was now adamant they wanted to return to Romania.

She said attacks had been intensifying over the last two weeks but came to a head on Tuesday night when the thugs broke into her house and threatened her and her children.

Speaking in the leisure centre, Maria said: "We are OK, we are safe now. But we want to go home because right now we are not safe here (in Northern Ireland).

"We want to go back home to Romania, everybody right now does. I want to go home because I have here two kids and I want my kids to be safe."

Simmering racial tensions in the area have erupted over recent days, culminating with an attack on a rally in support of the east European migrants on Monday night.


Youths hurled bottles and made Nazi salutes at those taking part in the anti-racism rally.

Police have rejected claims that they had been slow to respond to the racist incidents as they increased during the week.

Some families had alleged that 999 calls made earlier in the week were not answered and police only intervened to a significant extent after Tuesday night's incidents.

But Superintendent Chris Noble said his officers had done their utmost to help the families. He also dampened speculation that loyalist paramilitaries might have been behind the attacks.