Friends, Families and Travellers unequivocally condemns the racist attacks and intimidation directed at Roma families and the wider community in Belfast. There is no excuse for masked mobs targeting homes, terrorising communities, and forcing children and families to live in fear. Racist violence must be called out at every turn.
Sadly, these scenes are not new. In 2009, Roma families in Belfast were driven from their homes by racist attacks, with Amnesty International calling anti-Roma racism one of Europe’s most entrenched and tolerated forms of discrimination. 2025 saw mass violence against Roma communities in Ballymena, forcing many to escape to safety.
Exactly one year later, we are once again witnessing the devastating consequences of allowing prejudice, scapegoating and anti-migrant rhetoric to flourish.
Roma, Gypsy and Traveller communities have long been treated as convenient targets for racism, exclusion and political point-scoring. We reject any attempt to demonise entire groups and stand in solidarity with those affected.
Political leaders, public bodies and the media have a responsibility not only to condemn these attacks, but to challenge the racism that enables them. Solidarity must be matched with action. Everyone deserves to live free from fear, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or background.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
About Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT)
Friends, Families and Travellers is a leading national charity that works to end racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and to protect the right to pursue a nomadic way of life.
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