New mural reflects disgust at Romanian attacks
LAST week’s racist attacks in South Belfast have been included on one of Belfast’s most famous tourist attractions.
A mural marking the targeting of the Romanian community has been painted on the International Wall on the Falls Road.
It draws parallels between the incidents in South Belfast and the Holy Cross dispute in North Belfast in 2001, as well as attacks on enrolling black students at Little Rock High School in Arkansas in 1957.
Artist Danny Devenny was one of those behind the mural and said it came about after the connections between the racist and sectarian hatred were pointed out.
“We wanted to say to the Romanian people, and those in Belfast who are opposed to what happened last week, that we are totally against this and we are thinking of them.
“Other people organised protests and other things, but we thought as muralists, this was the obvious thing to do.”
Danny said the mural would be added to in the coming days and will stay for the foreseeable future on the wall.
“One of my friends is Romanian and so I am going to get the translation into her language of ‘We are thinking of you’ and place it on the wall soon.
“The attacks were one of those things that has united everybody, because it disgusted and disgraced each one of us,” added the local artist.
“That’s why we did the painting – we don’t set the tone of what people are thinking, we just reflect what local communities are saying and they are seeing how reminiscent the attacks are with other racist and sectarian incidents in the past.”
