Days of violence 'a stain on NI's international reputation'

Stormont's health minister has said the violence that erupted last week was a "stain on Northern Ireland's reputation, locally, nationally and internationally".

Northern Ireland made global headlines when a knife attack in north Belfast sparked days of disorder and what police said were racially-motivated attacks. A man has been charged with attempted murder.

Homes, businesses and vehicles were targeted and police were attacked. More than 20 people have been arrested.

International healthcare workers told BBC News NI they faced intimidation and some feared for their safety. "If they were not with us our health service would collapse and people would die unnecessarily," Mike Nesbitt said.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, Nesbitt referred to the "wonderful international colleagues who prop up the health service".

Nesbitt also pointed to a family, whose picture had been shown around the world, bundled into the back of a police vehicle as they fled their home.

"Their mum was a nurse," he said.

He said he met healthcare workers at the Mater Hospital in Belfast on Friday and heard some "horrendous stories".

"Some young nurses had to negotiate their way to work past the rioters who were manning barricades around Carlisle Circus, close to the Mater Hospital," he said.

"I was in Ballyclare, visiting two groups, one is an ethnic minorities healthcare workers advisory body. They had their windows smashed and they were in fear of the future."

He said international workers made up 85% of the workforce of some care homes but he had been told some are "wondering whether it's worth their while staying in Northern Ireland because of the fear".

He added that healthcare workers from other countries were "welcome, essential" and "we very much value the contribution they make in health and social care".

"I thank them for what they do, I reassure them that we and the police, and society generally value them, want them to stay, but I also perfectly understand if they think in terms of assessing their safety they need to step away, I couldn't blame them."

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said on Friday that police would "strive to deliver justice for those who have been affected by the disorder, racially-motivated attacks and hate-filled social media posts".

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered at an anti-racism protest in Belfast, after the violence erupted across the city.

On Friday, Nigerian nurse Chinonso Uche who has lived in Northern Ireland for about five years said she was considering leaving to "save her life".

Uche said that when she moved she had "high hopes" but that recent unrest has left her "scared".

Uche said when she arrived in Northern Ireland, she gave everything, bought a house here and "had no plan of leaving".

But she said "as time goes on, every summer there's unrest against immigrants" and that she has been attacked multiple times on her way home from work.

"This last bit was the last for me," she said.

Dr Mukesh Chugh, who has lived and worked as a doctor in Derry for more than 20 years, said: "We hear especially from people who come from different nations and people of different colour - their houses are gone, their cars are gone, their windows are smashed.

"We should not judge the whole immigrant community because of one act of violence done by some person in the street."

Biji Jose, from the Northern Ireland Indian Nurses Forum, has been living in Northern Ireland for 23 years.

She said she is worried her colleagues from the Indian community may decide to leave Northern Ireland.

She said junior colleagues have been in touch about the recent violence and are "really worried" about their safety.

"We are filling the workforce shortage and easing the waiting lists for procedures, because of our relentless, selfless, kind services supporting the community to get the proper care on time."