'We are all one, we all have the same blood, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect' victim of racist attacks tells Derry rally
A care worker who was brutally assaulted by a racist gang in Derry has told those gathered at a solidarity rally in the city that ‘everyone deserves to be treated with respect, irrespective of where they come from’.
The man suffered a broken leg among others injuries when he was set upon ad beaten with iron bars by thugs in the Waterside last weekend. The 28-year-old was subjected to a sustained assault in the Bond Street area after stopping to speak to his sister who was also assaulted.
The Nigerian man, who appeared on crutches at the solidarity and anti-racism rally organised by Derry Trades Council, briefly addressed the large crowd gathered at Ebrington Square on Saturday.
Stating that he was not there out of self-pity, he added: “I just want everyone to know that we are all one, we all have the same blood, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect irrespective of where he is coming from.”
Nigerian Community Leader David Lawal recounted how the gang of men had attacked the man, and how the woman who was attacked was too traumatised to attend the rally.
"She was accosted and subjected to vicious racial insults. These people were not looking for trouble; they were not provoking anybody. They were simply going about their every day lives. Today they are traumatised, they were physically and emotionally abused and attacked.”
Mr Lawal also spoke of the enormous contribution of migrants here.
To applause from those gathered, Mr Lawal said: "We are here to contribute, to work, to build and to live. We have come to say to those of you who are racists: We will not be intimidated, we will not be silenced, we will not be forced into hiding.
"We are here to stand for justice, humanity, equality and peace. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not the Derry we all know. This is not the city we want. We want our lovely Derry back, a city where neighbours look after neighbours, a city where brothers protect brothers and sisters protect sisters.”
Doreen Mutheny from the African Caribbean Community Network thanked those who turned out to the rally, and spoke of the fear among members of the network.
"Many of our African Caribbean network are at home worried to come out in case they are mugged, in case they are followed, in case something happens to them. The three members did not deserve what happened to them. Our city has been the most welcoming city I have been in. I have been here more than a decade. Whenever it happens we need to stand together and put a stop to it."
Doreen called for everyone to treat the members of the network with the same love, respect and dignity they display to the wider community.
"We are here all of us to say no to racism. During COVID we watched everybody standing outside clapping when the health care workers and nurses were outside looking after the people who were affected by COVID. We all stood up and clapped for them, every person. Now they are the same people who are getting attacked.”
Also addressing the rally, Dr. Sameh Sayed Ali Hassan of the North West Islamic Association said: “No-one should have to live in fear because of the colour of their skin, their religion, or where they come from. And no-one should be made to feel that they are less valued, less respected or less entitled to safety and dignity than someone else.
"I know how deeply something like this can affect a family. It is not only what happened in those few moments, but what happens afterwards, the fear, the distress, the questions that remain in your mind and the feeling that your sense of safety has been taken away. It can affect how you feel when you walk down the street, when your children go out and when you simply go about your every day life. We understand that this is not something you can simply forget and we stand beside you.”
Dr Hassan urged the wider community: “We must not become insensitive to the suffering of our neighbours from ethnic minorities. We must never reach a point where racist abuse, intimidation and violence become so common that people will shrug their shoulders and move on. We are seeing xenophobia and Islamophobia becoming more visible in our society. Words matter, attitudes matter. And silence matters too.”
“We are your neighbours. Let’s not allow those who spread hatred to shape our city.”
Damian Doherty on behalf of the organisers, Derry Trades Union Council, told those gathered: “Every worker is an essential part of our society and every migrant worker is a welcome addition to our society and to our workforces. We stand in solidarity with our migrant workers and the wider migrant community.
"The Waterside overall is a vibrant, working class, multicultural area. The attacks last week were not a representation of the Waterside or the wider Derry area. Unfortunately we are all aware that this is unlikely this is the last time we will have to gather for something like this. We all dream and we all hope we will no longer have to gather for these rallies. Until then we in the trade union movement and the wider working class movement in the north west will always stand proudly and steadfast with our migrant brothers and sisters."
Mr Doherty said people across this region would not stand by and let those ‘behind the disgusting racist attacks’ and the ‘horrible online racist trolls who wrongly seek to blame our migrant community for the failures of others’ to target our colleagues and neighbours.
Paul Seeny from the North West Migrants Forum said it has been quite a frightening time for many migrant communities not just here but across the north and throughout Ireland.
He said the recent racist, sectarian attack “in plain sight” a short distance away from where people had gathered “is a stark warning that emboldened racism exists in our city”.
"We cannot pretend it doesn’t exist. The brazen nature of these attacks has given us all pause for thought.”