Far-right actors are targeting asylum seekers in Ballymena and Belfast, with attacks on houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) rising.

ISD Senior Analyst Ciarán O’Connor spoke to The i Paper about this “unprecedented” violence, stating that it “represented a new escalation of anti-migrant harassment and violence.”

“Thetford is the latest iteration we’ve seen of justifications for protests being based upon the belief that asylum seekers are inherently sexually violent, or just generally violent,” Ciarán said. “These claims are reaching a wide group of people. We are long past the time when there was a clear boundary between formal, explicit far-right groups online.”

Ciarán also explained the potential risk that these tactics will be seen as “success stories” and more widely adopted, as the violence ultimately drove migrants out of their homes.

“There will never be any form of acceptable accommodation for asylum seekers among these groups.”

The full article is available on The i Paper.