I was in Northern Ireland last week, as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, following the horrific knife attack on Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast on Monday 8 June. All our thoughts are with him, and his family, as he remains seriously injured in hospital. I would also like to thank the brave people who ran towards danger to save Mr Ogilvie during the sickening assault. A man has now been charged in relation to the incident. He is a 30-year-old Sudanese national who received refugee status in 2023 and was granted five years’ leave to remain. We must now allow justice to take its course.
I travelled to Belfast on Wednesday morning to receive an update from the Chief Constable, talk to community groups, and meet some of the brave officers who dealt with the worst of the disorder on Tuesday night. I also met all the Party leaders on Thursday.
We all appealed for calm. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully, but nothing can justify the violent thuggery we saw on the streets with people being intimidated and, in some cases, burnt out of the homes because of the colour of their skin. Ethnic minority nurses were stopped by thugs on their way to work to be asked what country they came from. This out and out racism has left the ethnic minority community living in fear that they may be targeted next.
I want to pay tribute to the police and the other emergency services for their work. Faced with an extraordinarily challenging situation, they responded with great courage, and we owe them our profound thanks. I also want to thank the many people from the community who helped those affected.
Our message to those responsible for the disorder is this: you will be caught and you will face the consequences of your actions. There have already been a number of arrests.
Finally, Northern Ireland is a wonderful place with warm friendly people. What we have seen on our TV screens is not the real Northern Ireland. It is the actions of a mindless minority who claim to be defending the community but are actually engaging in a huge act of self-harm.
At times like this, there is a great responsibility on us all, as the custodians of our democracy, to respond with unity, to choose our words and actions with care, and to uphold the first duty of the state, which is to maintain order on the streets and to keep the public safe. And that is what we will do.
Best wishes
Rt Hon Hilary Benn
MP for Leeds South
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland