Last week footage of a shocking stabbing in Belfast went viral. After it emerged that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker originally from Sudan, protests were called that soon devolved into a racist pogrom. Gangs of young men created checkpoints, burnt out cars, and set fire to the homes of people suspected to be migrants.
An old friend of the podcast, Matthew O’Toole, got a frontline view to the impact. The constitutency office he now runs as an elected official for the SDLP was converted into a temporary shelter for families fleeing their burning homes. He drove a family in the back of his car to safety in a convoy through Belfast as the violence still raged.
Thanks to longtime listener James and to supporter Kathy for suggesting the topic. This is a bonus episode made specially to thank Patreon supporters – due to the urgency of the topic, we’ve decided to make this one public. You can find our full collection of bonus episodes here: https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport
