The number of arrests made so far after riots in Belfast last summer have been confirmed. On Saturday, August 3, 2024, disorder and rioting started after an anti-immigration protest in the city.
After this, a number of minority owned businesses were attacked and a number of incidents took place around the city over the following weeks. The Justice Minister has now confirmed the number of arrests and prosecutions made to date following the incidents.
Naomi Long confirmed as of April 8, 2025, "a total of 48 arrests have been made in relation to the serious public disorder that occurred in August 2024." The Minister added: "the PSNI has submitted 44 files to the Public Prosecution Service however, some files refer to multiple suspects."
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The details emerged following a written question submitted by West Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll. He told Belfast Live: "Many people, especially migrants, felt unsafe in the aftermath of racist violence last summer.
"The response of the police did nothing to bolster people’s faith in the justice system, which was already fragile. More resources must be diverted to combat racism in local communities, and root out discrimination from the earliest possible stages."
Towards the end of last year, the Assembly called on the the First and deputy First Minister to initiate a review into bringing in stand-alone hate crime legislation following a rise in racist attacks. Police figures showed 2024 was the worst year for racist violence in Northern Ireland.
A record 1,411 racist incidents and 891 racist crimes were recorded by the PSNI in the year ending June 2024, according to official police data released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).
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