Commenting on the violence that swept through Belfast in the wake of the brutal stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie, the deputy leader of the Green Party, Rachel Millward, said:

“Last night we saw a wave of appalling violence sweep across Belfast, leaving people homeless as their homes were burned, and communities terrified as migrants and people of colour were made targets by far right thugs.

“Racist violence is becoming more and more common on our streets. This is a rising threat and cannot be ignored. Decades of neglect of our communities have left people angry and frustrated – and callous politicians have taken advantage of deep-seated frustrations to point the finger of blame at migrants.

“Indeed, in the midst of this unrest, Reform’s Zia Yusuf tweeted ‘some cultures are MUCH better than others.’ He has also disgracefully called for a ban on visas for anyone coming from Sudan – a country where there is currently an ongoing genocide.

“Meanwhile tech billionaire Elon Musk is using his support for extreme right wing party Restore to whip up hatred among communities here in the UK. It’s a terrifying situation.

“Sadly, for too long, instead of taking on these dangerous lies, those in power have implicitly backed them. From dogwhistle speeches echoing racists like Enoch Powell to the performative cruelty of stripping rights away from migrants who have made this county their home – this government has failed to stand up to the insidious, racist poison injected into the political bloodstream by parties of the far right.

“These horrific scenes must be a wake-up call. Instead of using division to further political aims, politicians of all stripes have a responsibility to do everything we can to bring communities together. We must turn the page today – otherwise we will only see the violence spread.”