30.10.04
BBC
Stand against race hate
Marchers took their protest to Belfast city centre
Up to 2,000 people have attended a rally in Belfast's city centre calling for an end to racism.
Marchers gathered outside the City Hall on Saturday to make a stand against race hate.
The event was organised by the Anti-Racism Network and the Chinese Welfare Association under the slogan 'No Excuses'.
Speakers from the Chinese, Muslim and gay communities called for the government to do more to stop attacks against them.
The organisers of Saturday's march said it was an opportunity for people to stand together to show their utter rejection of race hate.
They also wanted to reassure members of ethnic minorities that they had support and solidarity.
The main rally began at the University of Ulster's Art College and proceeded to City Hall.
'Racist attacks'
Feeder parades begin in west Belfast at Roden Street, and in the south of the city at Equality House, Shaftesbury Square.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has strongly endorsed the rally.
The commission's head of legal services, policy and research, Ciaran O Maolain, said: "Racism in Northern Ireland is not a new phenomenon, but the commission is especially concerned at the increase in racist attacks and other manifestations of intolerance in Belfast, Armagh, Dungannon, Ballymena and elsewhere.
"It is worrying that there have been only a handful of prosecutions for hate crimes which are happening at the rate of at least 300 per year."
Ciaran O Maolain
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
"The recent attacks on gay people in Derry are equally abhorrent."
He said he wanted to see policing resources directed at protecting minorities and bringing to justice those behind the recent attacks.
"It is worrying that there have been only a handful of prosecutions for hate crimes which are happening at the rate of at least 300 per year," Mr O Maolain said.
Figures released earlier this week, showed that more than five racist or homophobic attacks take place in Belfast every week.
'Hate crimes'
Attacks in north Belfast doubled between April and September this year, the city's District Policing Partnership was told.
Over the 183-day period there were 129 so-called hate crimes recorded throughout the city.
In the previous year, some 226 racial incidents were recorded across Northern Ireland, resulting to date in five known prosecutions.
In May, the Northern Ireland Affairs committee said police figures were underestimating "hate crime" levels by a "considerable margin" because victims were failing to report attacks.
Stand against race hate
Marchers took their protest to Belfast city centre
Up to 2,000 people have attended a rally in Belfast's city centre calling for an end to racism.
Marchers gathered outside the City Hall on Saturday to make a stand against race hate.
The event was organised by the Anti-Racism Network and the Chinese Welfare Association under the slogan 'No Excuses'.
Speakers from the Chinese, Muslim and gay communities called for the government to do more to stop attacks against them.
The organisers of Saturday's march said it was an opportunity for people to stand together to show their utter rejection of race hate.
They also wanted to reassure members of ethnic minorities that they had support and solidarity.
The main rally began at the University of Ulster's Art College and proceeded to City Hall.
'Racist attacks'
Feeder parades begin in west Belfast at Roden Street, and in the south of the city at Equality House, Shaftesbury Square.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has strongly endorsed the rally.
The commission's head of legal services, policy and research, Ciaran O Maolain, said: "Racism in Northern Ireland is not a new phenomenon, but the commission is especially concerned at the increase in racist attacks and other manifestations of intolerance in Belfast, Armagh, Dungannon, Ballymena and elsewhere.
"It is worrying that there have been only a handful of prosecutions for hate crimes which are happening at the rate of at least 300 per year."
Ciaran O Maolain
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
"The recent attacks on gay people in Derry are equally abhorrent."
He said he wanted to see policing resources directed at protecting minorities and bringing to justice those behind the recent attacks.
"It is worrying that there have been only a handful of prosecutions for hate crimes which are happening at the rate of at least 300 per year," Mr O Maolain said.
Figures released earlier this week, showed that more than five racist or homophobic attacks take place in Belfast every week.
'Hate crimes'
Attacks in north Belfast doubled between April and September this year, the city's District Policing Partnership was told.
Over the 183-day period there were 129 so-called hate crimes recorded throughout the city.
In the previous year, some 226 racial incidents were recorded across Northern Ireland, resulting to date in five known prosecutions.
In May, the Northern Ireland Affairs committee said police figures were underestimating "hate crime" levels by a "considerable margin" because victims were failing to report attacks.
