Belfast – Paddy Duffy Collection

“Tackle inequality – create opportunities – inspire change”. The large board shown here is in Cupar Way, near the security gates in North Howard Street, which are locked nightly between 8:30 and 6:30 a.m. (DoJ). These and the nearby Northumberland Street gates separate the lower Falls and the middle Shankill, including the young people from the Active Communities Network (web), a cross-community youth group that lobbied for increased opening hours to allow members to return home quickly after meetings (BBC).

The board was originally on Northumberland Street (Belfast Live) in the Arthur Guinness spot but is now in Cupar Way.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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– “Why do they come here, if they can’t speak our language?”
– “We will learn your language! Will you learn to accept us?”

Despite learning the language and opening businesses, immigrants came under attack in early August as part of a wave of anti-immigrant rioting and attacks in a number of UK cities, including Belfast, Bangor, Carrick, Newtownabbey, and Ballyclare. Shops were attacked on Botanic Road and Sandy Row (BBC | RTÉ) and eggs were thrown at a Middle Eastern market on the Falls Road (BBC). In response, anti-racism demonstrators outnumbered an anti-immigration protest five to one (Irish Times | BBC); residents of the middle Falls came out a few days later (Belfast Live).

This anti-racism mural is on Albert Street, Divis, west Belfast. In-progress image (above) from June 23rd; image of completed mural (with additions by kids) below from August 11th