Statement from the Co-Chairs of Waltham Forest Borough of Sanctuary following violence in Belfast
We stand with our neighbours.
As Co-Chairs of Waltham Forest Borough of Sanctuary, together with our Borough of Sanctuary Steering Committee partners, we are horrified by the violence that erupted in Belfast and across parts of the UK this week. Violence that was not random, but targeted racist attacks. Homes set on fire. Families forced into the street. Children made afraid to go to school. Health care workers afraid to go to work. This is not protest. This is hatred, and it must be named as such.
We know that the people of global majority heritage living in Waltham Forest are watching. Some will have family and friends in Belfast and beyond. Some will be feeling fear closer to home. We want to say clearly: you are seen, you are valued, and you are not alone.
Waltham Forest has been recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary because we believe, and act on the belief, that every person regardless of where they were born or the colour of their skin deserves to live with dignity, safety, and welcome. That commitment does not waver when the national mood turns hostile. It deepens.
We call on community members, faith groups, schools, and local organisations to reach out to neighbours who may be feeling frightened or isolated this week. Acts of solidarity, however small, matter enormously right now.
We also call on those with platforms: political leaders, media figures, and online voices to take responsibility. The violence in Belfast did not emerge from nowhere. It is a result of decades of anti-migrant rhetoric in the media and hostile environment policy that seeks to vilify and dehumanise migrants. And now, it is stoked, accelerated, and spread through misinformation and incitement online by far-right agitators who want nothing else but sow division in our communities. Words have consequences, and all those responsible for inciting racial hatred should be met with the full force of the law. Current incitement laws are not being effectively applied and this is unacceptable.
Cllr Paul Perkins and Averil Pooten Watan
Co-Chairs, Waltham Forest Borough of Sanctuary
Waltham Forest Borough of Sanctuary Steering Committee Partners