UK far-right riots: Belfast saw what real hate marches look like

For hours, the acrid stench of burning rubber filled the Belfast air as a mob of far-right extremists descended upon us. 

Muslim-owned businesses were torched and refugees were stabbed. As a Palestinian living in Belfast, the events of August 3 felt like a targeted purge.

Whilst their advertised target was Belfast's Islamic Centre, every Muslim or individual who wasn't white soon became prey. Fuelled by alcohol and drugs, they transformed a city into a battleground: they thew projectiles, gave Nazi salutes, screeched “F*k Palestine”, waved Union Jack and Israeli flags, and chanted the name of their patron saint, Tommy Robinson.

Then the pogrom began. Children, holding the hands of their parents, chanted “P*ki’s Out” and hurled petrol bombs into a local Muslim-owned barber shop. 

Every Muslim-owned business in the area had been scarred by previous attacks, some had even been burnt down before. But this time was different. 

One of their first targets was a local Arab supermarket, run by Syrian refugees. It was the first Arab supermarket I found in Belfast after moving here a few years ago.

I would go there to buy vine leaves, spices, Arabic coffee, and all the things that reminded me of my homeland, Palestine.

I’d often hear racial slurs hurled toward the shopkeeper and customers from across the street or watch as racists threw fruit and vegetables on the floor. This was all considered normal for Belfast. This same supermarket had been attacked twice before, yet the police did not make any arrests nor see it fit to protect this shop knowing its history of racist attacks.

Belfast: Trapped in a cycle of violence?

Then, as now, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) watched on and did nothing. Have they not learnt from history? Police helicopters hovered over us for hours and hundreds of police vehicles were deployed. No arrests were made nor was any racial violence stopped. 

It's not surprising. Days later, it was announced that three PSNI officers who had been deployed had been wearing patches belonging to Amercian right-wing militias on their uniforms, actively on duty.

A symbol, if any more was needed, of a dangerous, fascistic undercurrent in the police force to protect the pogrom.

Belfast's Multi-Cultural Association, a backbone during the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been burnt not once, but twice. Once again, no arrests and no one was held accountable. 

Over the past 300 days, Britain has taken to the streets to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza. For our efforts, we've been called infiltrators by the British political establishment, including by the former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, who labelled these demonstrations "hate marches". 

Well Suella, what happened in Belfast on August 3 looked, sounded, and felt a lot like a real hate march, in which you and your cronies are directly complicit. 

Let's be clear, the rise in Islamophobia across Britain, and the far-right's affiliation with Israel, is directly linked to Israel's genocide in Gaza. As the British & American governments continue to supply bombs that murder Palestinians, media outlets and politicians continue to refer to Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims as "human animals" and terrorists. Inevitably, citizens will replicate the violence they see perpetrated by the state and media, both in terms of its nature and its targets.

Now I'm forced to witness a terrifying echo of history. A pogrom unfolds in my Belfast home while a genocide rages in my homeland, Palestine.

Both are desperate struggles for survival. The parallels between Belfast in 2024, Huwara in 2023, and Kristallnacht in 1938 are undeniable. Each are different faces of the same ideology: fascism. And until we recognise that, more anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian pogroms will inevitably follow.

Farrah Koutteineh is the founder of KEY48 - a voluntary collective calling for the immediate right of return of over 7.4 million Palestinian refugees. Koutteineh is also a political activist focusing on intersectional activism including, the Decolonise Palestine movement, indigenous people's rights, anti-establishment movement, women's rights and climate justice.

Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @key48return

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.