State responses to racist attacks

In my article on spiked last week I mentioned the police's role in the evacuation of the Romanians who were under attack. I said:

'The focus on thugs allows state bodies to pose as the anti-racists today. There have been some criticisms of the police’s handling of the situation in south Belfast; they have been accused of not responding quickly enough, which may well be true. Yet no one has questioned the police’s role in the evacuation of the Romanians. A number of local anti-racists have, quite rightly, pointed out that if the Romanians leave Northern Ireland as a result of the attacks (an option which seems increasingly likely since their evacuation), then this will send a message to racists that their intimidation works. The police, however, seem to view the whole incident in the managerial terms of ‘community safety’ and as a useful PR exercise, ensuring that there were numerous cameraman ready to capture scenes of the evacuation and interview the Romanians when they were in police safety. As Superintendent Chris Noble put it:

‘It’s got to come from a perspective of all the agencies pulling together to address this [problem]. It’s around prevention, it’s around reassurance, it’s around enforcement, where enforcement is needed, and it’s also about bringing in the community themselves. Let’s be honest. There’s people out there who know who was involved in the initial attacks… there is a contract here in terms of community safety, between police, the agencies and the community.’

The police are far more concerned with developing community-police relations and presenting a shiny new media image than with confronting racist actions.

Since then I have been trying to work out how the Romanians came to be evacuated. I can find nothing in the media (or on the PSNI's website) which helps to explain it, but these lines from the blogsite slugger o'toole were the most suggestive. The PSNI response is part of:

a well oiled reflex, backed by mechanisms administered by the Housing Executive for parcelling victims of paramilitary violence, quickly and seamless out of areas dominated by one particular organisation and (often) into other estates controlled by their paramilitary rivals… It’s a short term tactic that has the positive short term outcome of getting the victim out of harm’s way, but it’s also a tacit admission that the functions of a democratic state are failing whole communities on the ground.

So I've googled the Housing Executive and racism and the UK Government's response to the Northern Ireland Select Affairs Committee report on hate crimes might provide some more clues:

92. The Housing Executive has a number of initiatives to tackle prejudice and support the victims of hate crime, for example:

• Persons made homeless as a result of terrorist, sectarian or racist intimidation are awarded the highest priority for re-housing. The Department for Social Development, the NIHE's parent department, has 'recently invited the Housing Executive to amend its Housing Selection scheme so that persons who are intimidated because of their sexual orientation or disabilities can also be awarded top priority for re-housing' [149]
• It pays emergency grants to public and private sector tenants who have been forced to leave their homes as a result of intimidation. It also provides information on housing and homelessness to advice and welfare centres catering for members of ethnic minorities [150]

This suggests that the community safety approach was a one-size-fits-all response, that was originally developed for sectarian attacks and security related incidents, has been rolled out for immigrants and ethnic minorities. Without any consideration of its appropriateness. You can imagine the conversation between the PSNI (police) and the Romanians:

PSNI: 'you can stay here and we will protect your home and your persons'

Romanian: 'but you have not managed to stop us being attacked yet'

PSNI: 'I am not trying to tell you what to do, I am only informing you of your options'

Romanian: 'What options?'

PSNI: 'Well the other option is that we will take you under armed escort in police minibuses to a nearby location where you can stay for the night, a local church have offered you space in their church hall. You will go to the top of the Housing Executive list for rehousing, you will be rehoused, and you will be eligible for a Housing Executive grant as compensation for your harassment'

Romanian: 'Its a no-brainer [or Romanian equivelent]'

This kind of approach might provide 'community safety' (whatever that might mean), but it does so by avoiding the difficult task of dealing with specific incidents of racist attacks.

Today it was announced that the PSNI have arrested two male suspects, a 16 and 17. So are we to think that the police force that are exporting their approach to policing of conflict as a model around the world are selling the idea that if you are faced with a bunch of teenage tearaways who make people's lives a misery, you should evacuate 115 people to ensure 'community safety'?