Emergency lodgings offered to families forced to flee homes

Romanian families forced to flee their homes in Belfast in the wake of racist attacks are to be temporarily re-housed, the North's government announced today.

All 114 people who had to seek shelter in a church last night will be offered the emergency lodgings, Stormont Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie said.

It is understood student accommodation in the Queen’s University area is being made available for one week.

“I am pleased that we have been able to secure temporary accommodation for any of those who require it by six o’clock this evening,” said the minister.

“And that will enable the Housing Executive to work with the residents about their choices and their options over the next week.”

Frightened Romanian men, women and children were this morning moved to a temporary refuge at indoor tennis courts in a council leisure centre where they were given food and other provisions.

Many have now vowed to leave the North for good.

Urgent talks are being held between police, community representatives, politicians and officials from a range of statutory agencies to draw up an action plan aimed at making the families feel safe to stay.

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

She said attacks had been intensifying over the last two weeks but came to a head last night with the racist thugs breaking into her house and threatening her and her children.

Others spoke of men armed with guns telling them to leave the country or face being shot.

“We are OK, we are safe now,” Maria said in the leisure centre. “But we want to go home because right now we are not safe here.

“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.”

More than 100 Romanian nationals spent Tuesday night in the City Church, near Queen’s University, after evacuating their homes in the Lisburn Road area in the south of the city.

Police helped up to 20 families leave their houses and set up in the hall while volunteers provided bedding and food.

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 today 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 last 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. The officer said there was no information that a paramilitary group had instigated the violence and said the perpetrators were a number of individuals who had acted spontaneously.

“The information that I have at the moment is that there is no co-ordination, there is no authorisation by any other groups, it’s a number of individuals who have taken some form of umbrage for whatever reason to people living in the community and are contributing to the community,” he said.

As well as Ms Ritchie, the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson and Health Minister Michael McGimpsey all visited the families in the centre through the day.

Leading UDA figure in South Belfast Jackie McDonald also visited the leisure centre, claiming he wanted to help the families who had been caught up in the attacks.

But he and three colleagues were stopped from entering the premises by a police officer outside.

Clearly irritated at being turned away, Mr McDonald nevertheless said he utterly condemned the targeting of the families.

He added that work was going on within the community to ensure that those involved stop.

“We’re trying to talk to young people to encourage them not to do what they are doing,” he said.