Northern Ireland

Belfast multi-cultural centre damaged in fire

The fire happened at Donegall Pass in south Belfast
The fire happened at Donegall Pass in south Belfast The fire happened at Donegall Pass in south Belfast

A multi-cultural centre which has been used as a food bank to distribute packages to vulnerable people during the Covid pandemic says it will “not be deterred” from its work after being badly damaged by fire.

Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said it is believed the fire at the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association building on Donegall Pass in the south of the city on Thursday night “was started deliberately”. Branding it a branded a “hate crime”, the PSNI has launched an investigation alongside the fire service.

It took more than 50 firefighters several hours to bring the blaze under control.

The destruction is the latest blow to the voluntary organisation, with vehicles belonging to people working at the centre vandalised in hate crime incidents.

None of the volunteers were injured in the fire which started at around 8.30pm and took seven fire appliances to bring the flames under control.

In a statement, the association said it has been on the “receiving end of a lot of hostility and Islamophobia for years”.

“We are immensely grateful to the fire services who were there promptly and we look forward to hearing from the investigations that will follow,” it said.

“We are heartbroken and shocked by these events but it will not deter us from any of our work: our volunteers despite shaken are determined not to let down the communities we support.

“Thank you to everyone who have been in contact to check up on us and extended their support and solidarity. We are immensely grateful for it all.”

In September two cars had their windows smashed outside the Charlotte Street premises, where volunteers had distributed food parcels to emergency workers, those shielding and homeless people during the first lockdown.

Previously attacks include doors at the back of the building being smashed, kitchen equipment stolen and all CCTV cameras pulled down.

Belfast Lord Mayor Frank McCoubrey said while it is “a blessing that no-one was injured, this is a devastating blow for the volunteers who have been using


this base to serve their community and others, and provide much-needed support to some of the most vulnerable in our society”.

“It is important that the investigation is completed but it is sad to hear members of the association speak this morning of ongoing hostility and tensions,” he said.

“As first citizen, I want to offer them my support. There is no place in society for hate. Belfast is a diverse city and we are much richer for it.”

“Throughout the ongoing pandemic, I have been heartened by the overwhelming sense of community spirit right across our city and I am certain that the people of south Belfast and beyond will unite in their support of Belfast Multi-Cultural Association, and support them as they work to restore the vital services they provide to the local community.”

Sinn Féin south Belfast representative and communities minister Deirdre Hargey said she was “shocked” by the news.

“I’m deeply concerned that people at the centre have been the target of hate crime in recent months.”

Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said the volunteers “worked extremely hard to establish their premises” and “do amazing work for many sectors of the south Belfast community”.

“If this was a deliberate attack, it would be the latest in a series of hate crimes... this kind of Islamophobia is a blight on south Belfast.

“I am grateful none of the volunteers were injured in the fire, and I admire their determination to continue to serve their community in the face of adversity.”