Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

There were worrying and horrific scenes in Ballymena last night of hundreds, potentially thousands, of people gathering. It would appear some racist attacks were committed on homes. It follows an alleged serious sexual assault on a teenage girl, and I extend my solidarity to that girl and her family. Two teens have been accused, and as soon as it became potentially the case that they were non-nationals or were from another country, these crowds gathered in what is becoming a familiar pattern in the North, the South, in the UK, etc. First, I condemn the attacks that appear to have taken place on the homes of non-nationals, including a Filipino family. We have to come out and make this clear. Gender-based violence is gendered violence. It has nothing to do with nationality. Northern Ireland has an horrific history of violence against women - a native history. According to a recent Ulster University survey, 98% of women there have experienced at least one form of violence in their lives. It has the second highest femicide rate in the EU. The PSNI says there is a domestic violence report every 16 minutes. Unless those facts are brought out north and south of the Border, racists will continue to use this issue to stir up the racism they want. We need real action on gendered violence.

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