Senator Patricia Stephenson has called for strong community leadership in the wake of the horrific knife attack in Belfast this week and the racially motivated violence that followed it.<\/p>\n
She said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a Belfast native, I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack on Stephen Ogilvie this week and my thoughts are with him and his family as he tries to recover from his harrowing ordeal. The individual accused of this brutal crime is now before the courts and the law must be allowed to take its course.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe stories I\u2019ve heard from Belfast in the past few days have been devastating. People from migrant communities have been targeted; homes and businesses have been destroyed; cars and buses have been set on fire; police have been attacked and injured; and rampaging thugs have terrorised communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are being targeted and scapegoated based on the colour of their skin \u2013 it has been terrifying for them. What we have seen is the weaponisation of people\u2019s identities and backgrounds by a small minority who are determined to inflame tensions and sow division and hatred.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople\u2019s concern for what happened to Stephen is understandable \u2013 but racially motivated intimidation is not the answer. And it\u2019s not what communities in the North \u2013 or anywhere else on this island \u2013 want.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week felt like we were going back in time, which is the last thing that Belfast needs. Communities in the North have overcome decades of sectarian division and violence \u2013 and we can overcome the challenges of recent days with the right leadership and support.\u201d<\/p>\n
June 11, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Senator Patricia Stephenson has called for strong community leadership in the wake of the horrific knife attack in Belfast this week and the racially motivated violence that followed it. She said: \u201cAs a Belfast native, I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack on Stephen Ogilvie this week and my thoughts are with him and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,858,856],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-belfast","category-racism","category-the-north"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n