We must address events in Belfast over the past 48 hours. There was a knife attack on Monday night that was barbaric, vicious and depraved; the stuff of nightmares. The victim suffered horrific slash injuries to his eyes, face and neck. Were it not for the selfless bravery of members of the community, including Maitiu Mág Tighearnán putting himself at risk by jumping from his car and using his son’s hurl to stop the brutal assault, the victim would surely have lost his life. I acknowledge and thank the first responders on the scene and the swift action of the PSNI, which apprehended the suspect of this heinous crime. He is now in custody, faces the full weight of the law and must pay a heavy price for this brutal crime. My thoughts are of course with the victim and his family as they live through this nightmare and as he continues to be treated in hospital. It was right that political leaders in the North came together to unequivocally condemn this attack and call for the swift delivery of justice. The assault provoked genuine shock, disgust and anger across communities. Last night, groups of masked men burned families out of their homes, targeted and attacked innocent people and terrified and endangered small children. We witnessed racist intimidation and violence orchestrated by loyalist and far-right thugs. These are people hell-bent on whipping up hatred for their own ends. Many of those leading this violence are the same people who will burn Tricolours on the top of bonfires on 12 July. What occurred last night echoes back to the pogroms on Bombay Street in 1969, when families and children were burnt out of their homes by loyalist mobs. Why? Because they were Catholic and Irish. Many were forced to leave, fleeing for their lives across the Border into Dundalk and beyond. They were refugees in their own country. This was inflicted on Irish nationalists time and again. When we said "never again" and that we would never allow anyone to be treated this way again, we meant it. We meant anyone - not Irish and not any community. Nobody has the right to spread fear, intimidate or terrify innocent families. We have a duty to communities to show political leadership and stand up for what is right. The good, decent people of Belfast have lived through division and hatred before. They wear the scars and pain of those times and will not allow it to happen again. They will not allow their peace and better future to be robbed from them. In the aftermath of this violence, threats have been made to the life of Belfast’s mayor, Róis-Máire Donnelly. She will not bow to these threats of violence against her. She will continue to stand with every community in Belfast and continue to call out racist thugs. I ask the Taoiseach to join with me in offering support to the victim of Monday night's vicious assault and to take this opportunity to condemn unequivocally the appalling, orchestrated violence carried out against innocent families last night.

Sentiment score: -0.43

Of course, everyone has the right to live in safety. That vicious, depraved assault causes all of us disgust. Savagery like that has no place on our streets in any part of Ireland. The perpetrator of an act like that must face the full weight of justice. The organised mobs, and this was organised, who burned families out of their homes and terrified children are the same people who in July will burn Irish Tricolours on the top of their bonfires. These people and their organised racism need to be faced down. To carry out actions like that and then to threaten the life of Belfast's first citizen, Róis-Máire Donnelly, reflects just how serious this matter is. I invite the Taoiseach again to assert that we will jointly face this down and I ask him to address the issue of those threats to Belfast's first citizen.

Sentiment score: -0.25

There is none.

Sentiment score: 0.00