Stormont to issue ‘unified’ statement on racism and sectarianism, says Lyons | UK News

The Northern Ireland Executive is to send out a “joint and unified statement” on recent racist and sectarian attacks in north Belfast and Ballymena, the communities minister has said.

Gordon Lyons rejected claims of a failure of political leadership on the issue.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s executive meeting at Stormont, he said the violence “needs to be condemned unequivocally”.

Lyons added that the responsibility for tackling it was not on politicians alone, but for society as a whole.

“The vast, vast majority of people want nothing to do with that whatsoever,” the DUP assembly member said.

“I think it is important to emphasize that it is a very small minority that are taking part in this sort of activity.

“It is wrong. It needs to be condemned. And more than that, we need to make sure that we are taking action to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”

Lyons added that he feels it’s important for Stormont departments to “take action” individually as well as collectively, but that “ultimately, the responsibility lies with those that have taken part in this violence”.

“Unfortunately, this is nothing new. It’s a problem that has existed in the past, continues to exist, but let’s make sure that we’re working together,” Lyons continued.

“And the responsibility doesn’t just fall on politicians, it’s on wider society as well, to make sure that we can deal with these issues.

“That’s certainly what I’m already doing within the Department for Communities and our responsibility for housing in particular, and there has been significant engagement with the police on that.”

When asked about claims that unionist politicians weren’t speaking out against the incidents, he replied “that’s just wrong”.

Earlier, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt told ‘s Good Morning Ulster programme he expected the issue to be “high on the agenda” at Thursday’s meeting.

“I expect us to come out with a combined, unified, collaborative statement,” the UUP MLA added.

The chief executive at the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations – which represents 19 housing associations – told ‘s Evening Extra programme that perpetrators of the attacks “see housing as an emotive topic” that they can capitalize on.

Seamus Leheny said this type of crime has “really taken a step-up since last summer”.

“I have housing associations that when they have a vacant property, signs are being put on the windows of those properties saying ‘locals only’.”

Mr Leheny said a “robust response” is needed from political representatives and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

He added: “We need to see quick responses and better data sharing with PSNI and housing associations.”

It comes after politicians and community representatives met on Tuesday morning, just days after a number of homes were attacked in racially-motivated crimes in the Lower Oldpark area.

The multi-agency meeting on Tuesday was arranged by the Sinn Féin MP, John Finucane, who said all cross-community representatives were given reassurances by the police around their response to the recent attacks and threats.

He said the police assured everyone at the meeting that they are taking the attacks “very seriously”.

Also on Tuesday, a young mother from the Catholic community told News NI she fled her home three weeks ago, claiming her children were subjected to sectarian abuse.

The homes of several Catholic families who lived along the same street were damaged during sectarian attacks in May and some families moved away from the street at the time.

On Monday, a landlord who is housing Filipino workers in a number of properties near Ballymena, County Antrim, told News NI he fears for his own safety and theirs, after six vehicles were burnt and destroyed outside a where six of his tenants live.

Police have said they are treating the arson attack as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Also on Monday, Sia Fey, who is a victim of a recent racist attack, told News NI she intended to keep her family in their north Belfast home.

Last week she was in her house in Manor Street with her two children, aged 12 and 14, when the window of their living room was smashed.

Another house in Manor Street and one in nearby Summerhill Court, were also damaged in the incidents on Thursday.

Police are investigating a potential link between all three incidents.