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Attacked Romanians to go home
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Print Story Up to 100 Romanians who fled their homes after a series of racist attacks are quitting Northern Ireland altogether, it has been confirmed. Skip related content
Twenty-five have already gone and another 75 are planning to go in the coming days. Just 14 have decided to stay in Belfast.
As they made their travel plans there was outrage when the church that offered them sanctuary for a night last week had its windows smashed in an attack.
Three men aged 20 were arrested hours later at a house a short distance from the City Church in south Belfast's University Avenue for questioning about the attack which was captured on CCTV.
At the same time a 21-year-old man appeared in court in Belfast charged with intimidating Romanians last week. On Monday boys aged 15 and 16 appeared in court on charges linked to the attacks.
Two more teenagers aged 16 and 17 have been released on bail after being quizzed over intimidation and provocative conduct.
Announcing the decision of the 100 to go back to Romania, Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie said their flight would be funded from emergency government funds.
The minister said she deeply regretted the decision to leave. "We are not a racist society, but it's now time we took a serious look at ourselves. There is now an urgency and an imperative to build a shared society.
"We live apart. We are educated apart, and therefore it is no surprise that this is a 'them and us' attitude. We have to work to challenge that attitude. There must be total respect for political, religious and ethnic differences."
Pastor Malcolm Morgan who discovered the damage to his church said: "I arrived at 7am and found several windows smashed at the front of our church and the main door windows smashed. There were stones lying scattered on the floor inside and outside and obviously broken glass all around."
