Justice Minister Long urges everyone to ‘do more’ following racist attacks

Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister has urged others to “do more” in the aftermath of a spate of racially motivated attacks on homes.

Naomi Long was speaking as police investigate racially motivated criminal damage on three houses in the Manor Street and Summerhill Court areas of north Belfast.

Meanwhile, police are investigating an attack on a house in the Killaughey Road area of Donaghadee on Saturday during which a window was smashed and graffiti daubed on a wall. It is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Police figures released last week indicated there were 2,049 race incidents and 1,329 race crimes in the 12 months from July 1 last year to June 30, 2025.

These are the highest figures since such data began to be collated and reported by the PSNI in 2004-05.

Ms Long condemned the incidents as “disgusting”.

“It is not acceptable. It’s not acceptable to make excuses or try and rationalise it. It needs to be condemned and it needs to stop,” she said.

Ms Long said she is working on what she can do, and urged others to do more.

She also criticised the fact that no other Executive ministers spoke on the matter on BBC Radio Ulster on Monday morning.

“Those elements that fall to me as Justice Minister, I have been working on over the last 12 months,” she told the Good Morning Ulster programme.

“Could we all do more, of course we could, and we will, which is why I’m bringing forward two major pieces of legislation that will include provision for hate crime, but I can’t deal with all of the other issues that are being raised by others, for example, the need for an anti-racism strategy the need for proper integration, those are issues that I have raised with colleagues.”

Ms Long cautioned against the rhetoric used around migration.

“Should we be surprised that people who listen to that daily diet of misinformation and negative connotations around migration end up in situations where they feel radicalised into this kind of violent action against migrants,” she said.

“I think every politician and every public figure needs to look at the language that they’re using, need to look at the issues that they’re campaigning on because these are othering people in our society, treating them as less than human and creating the conditions in which this kind of violence will flourish.

“That’s a job that I’m willing to take on with my colleagues, but we need every single politician and every single public figure to take that as seriously as I do.”

Independent councillor Paul McCusker said there has been an “escalation in this type of behaviour which needs called out”.

He also urged leadership from the PUL (Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist) community.

“We need to see more unionists politicians come out to call this what it is, it’s wrong, people should be able to live where they want to live,” he said.

“We’re seeing people having to move out, and people living in fear every single day. We’re talking about families here, children, people who want to move on with their lives, but we have people who want to hold us back.”

DUP councillor Jordan Doran said there are major issues of a lack of housing and under investment in the area, and called for a multi agency meeting.

“I stand absolutely against any and all forms of criminality without reservation or hesitation,” he said.

“I don’t believe that this requires only PUL leadership because I’m absolutely on the ground in Lower Oldpark.

“I’ve been speaking with residents in Lower Oldpark, there is great work happening from community leaders in the area.

“They (the residents) don’t want their community to be seen as racist because that’s simply not true.

“What we now need is real action and not just words. The area is chronically under invested in.

“There is a major lack of housing, there is a lack of much needed regeneration and while, quite frankly, it is easy to come out and condemn, something now needs to be done.”

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane said there should be a united front in response to the racially motivated incidents in North Belfast.

Mr Finucane is holding an “urgent multi-agency meeting” on the matter on Tuesday.

The North Belfast MP is hosting the meeting with agencies and politicians to address the latest incidents.

“Elected representatives, community activists and statutory agencies will come together and it is important that we send a strong and united message that racist and sectarian intimidation will not be tolerated.

“The vast majority of people in North Belfast want to live in peace and for those responsible for these incidents, they do not represent these communities.

“We must all stand together against sectarianism and racism and provide full support to the victims.”