Gerry Carroll has hailed today's United Against Racism rally as the largest anti-racist demonstration ever seen in Belfast, after tens of thousands gathered at City Hall to oppose the racist violence of recent days.
Speaking at City Hall, he said:
"Today, Belfast spoke with one voice. This was the biggest anti-racist demonstration this city has ever seen, and everyone who turned out should be proud. We reclaimed our city from the fascist thugs who tried to take it from us. The people of this city have answered terror with solidarity, and there is no contest about which is the real Belfast."
“The appalling attack in north Belfast was a horrific act of violence, and my thoughts are with the victim and his family. This serious crime is a matter for the courts. It can never be an excuse for the collective punishment of an entire community for the colour of their skin. That is outright racism, and it should be condemned as such.”
"The handful terrorising our migrant brothers and sisters do not speak for this city, and they never did. The tens of thousands who marched today speak for Belfast."
"Today’s turnout is living proof that the poison being pumped in from a distance - by the Farages and the Musks, who don’t give a damn for the ordinary people of this city - simply does not work here. They tried to import their anti-migrant politics and set worker against worker. Today, Belfast threw it back in their faces."
"The far-right agitators and loyalist paramilitaries stoking this hatred have interests utterly opposed to those of working people. Their divisive hatred will never get a single family a home, a GP appointment or a decent wage. They need us divided and fighting each other, because a united working class - migrant and Belfast-born - is the one thing they cannot defeat. Divide and rule is the oldest trick they have."
"It was ordinary people - youth workers, community groups, neighbours with a spare room - who protected this city this week when the state would not. That same solidarity filled our streets today. Migrant workers are our neighbours, our colleagues and our class, and we will not let anyone turn us against one another."
