Almost Half of NI Race Riot Suspects Had A Domestic Abuse History
Image Credit: Kevin Scott
Almost Half of NI Race Riot Suspects Had A Domestic Abuse History
Text: Izzy Copestake
One thing is clear clear from these statistics: this was never about protecting women,
Almost half of the people arrested during race-related riots in Belfast last August last summer had previously been reported to police for domestic abuse, new data has revealed.
Figures obtained via a freedom of information request by The Detail show that 23 out of 48 people arrested in connection with the far right disorder had prior domestic abuse reports filed with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The riots followed the murder of three children in Southport in July 2024. In the days after, far-right groups organised anti-immigrant protests across the UK, including in Belfast.
On the 3rd of August, seven businesses in Sandy Row, Donegall Road and Botanic were targeted and attacked after a far-right march. Violence continued over the following days, and masked rioters targeted people and properties owned by people from ethnic minority communities.
The data linking domestic abuse to those involved in race-related riots underscores a deeper issue: violence in public often mirrors violence in private. One thing is clear clear from these statistics: this was never about protecting women, it was about racist hatred and violence. As Northern Ireland continues to grapple with rising extremism, campaigners say it’s crucial to confront the roots of that violence, not just its symptoms.
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