Volunteers at a food bank targeted in a racist arson attack have said they were overwhelmed after being handed a cheque for more than £70,000 raised in a crowdfunding appeal.
The Belfast Multicultural Association centre in Belfast was badly damaged in last month’s blaze, with large sections of the roof of the historic listed building destroyed.
Police are treating the attack on the property in Donegall Pass in the south of the city as a hate crime.
In the wake of the fire, an online funding page was set up to help the association continue its work distributing food and clothes packages to vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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BAME in NI: We are much more than just numbers
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A group of black and minority ethnic women in Northern Ireland have started a campaign to gain more influential positions in public life.
They believe that they have been marginalised from decision-making that affects their lives and that more needs to be done to make their voices heard.
A series of online seminars have been organised by the Londonderry-based North West Migrants Forum in partnership with Belfast Multi-Cultural Association and the Belfast Islamic Centre.
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More than £70,000 has been raised in an online appeal for the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association following the devastating fire at the former church last month.
Four weeks ago the blaze gutted the building, which was being used as a food bank for volunteers distributing packages to vulnerable during the Covid pandemic. Police are treating the attack as a hate crime.
Donations flooded in after the attack, with the online fundraiser smashing its initial target of £10,000. A total of £71,733 was finally raised and presented to the community group on Thursday. Read More
The group is currently trying to find an alternate premises to operate from while the building in the Donegal Pass area undergoes extensive repairs.
A Northern Ireland MP has come under fire after he described the representation of black people on an edition of Songs of Praise as the BBC at its BLM (Black Lives Matter) worst .
Anti-racism groups have called on the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Gregory Campbell to apologise over his race-baiting and irresponsible remarks on the BBC s Gospel Singer of the Year competition.
The programme, which was filmed at Gorton Monastery in Manchester, featured five semi-finalists, three judges and a presenter who were all of a black ethnicity.
In his Facebook post, which was shared on January 31, the East Londonderry MP wrote: Just watched BBC TV Songs of Praise which this week was Gospel Singer of the year semi final. This I m afraid was BBC at its BLM worst.
Democratic Unionist Party MP criticised for race-baiting social media post
Campbell made the post on 31 January complaining about the BBC’s Songs of Praise. By Tadgh McNally Sunday 7 Feb 2021, 6:46 PM Feb 7th 2021, 6:46 PM 42,769 Views 68 Comments
Image: Liam McBurney
Image: Liam McBurney
A DUP MP has received criticism for a “race-baiting” social media post, after he complained about the number of black people on an episode of BBC’s Songs of Praise.
Gregory Campbell, a Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Derry, made the post on 31 January where he complained about an episode of Song’s of Praise, saying that it was “BBC at it’s BLM worst.”