Long shock and disgust at racist motive for attack

Police are treating an attack in which two men were beaten with an iron bar in their East Belfast home as a hate crime, and local MLA Naomi Long has expressed disgust at the motive for this attack. Two men were attacked in their home in the Parklands complex on Wednesday evening at 8pm.

Naomi Long MLA said: “This tragic story has taken a sickening twist as police are treating the attack as a hate crime.

“An assault of this severity is bad enough in itself but the fact that there may be a racist motive to the attack is simply sickening. This attack has disgusted the whole community.

“This must have been an extremely harrowing experience for the victims and I want to let them know that the thoughts of the whole community are with them.

“People who attack someone on the basis of their nationality have no place in our society. I would appeal to anyone who can help in catching the thugs behind this attack to contact police immediately.”

ENDS