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Police have revisited the scene of an arson attack at a property used by the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association.
A fundraising campaign launched following the fire last Friday at the charity’s premises on Donegall Pass has raised more than £69,000 to help them continue their work.
Police are investigating the attack as a racially motivated hate crime. The building was being used as a food bank, with volunteers distributing packages to vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said: “As part of our investigation, which has included door to door enquiries, community engagement and a review of CCTV, we are continuing to appeal for information.”
This very day a year ago I got a phone call from the BBC in Belfast asking if I would take part in a discussion programme on Radio Ulster later in the week. On the Sunday, the show’s host Dearbhail McDonald, a couple of other panel members and I dissected current events. Two of the stories included the passing of SDLP giant Seamus Mallon and the restoration of Stormont following a so-called new deal. Every January is different in one sense, but in another the beginning of 2020 was much like any other. One of the stories we briefly touched on at the end was from the other side of the world, people being affected by a new virus in a place called Wuhan in China.
The founder of the Belfast Multi-Cultural Association (BMCA) has said learning of a racist arson attack on the charity was like a "dagger to the heart".