Belfast protest: Thousands gather for anti-racism rally

Thousands of people gathered on Saturday at an anti-racism protest in Belfast, after violence erupted across the city this week which saw people's homes, businesses and vehicles targeted. The disorder was sparked after footage of a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night, which left the victim with serious injuries, was shared widely on social media. A man has been charged with attempted murder. The "Together Against Hate" rally started at about 13:00 at Belfast City Hall. Police closed a number of roads to facilitate the crowd. A number of political parties and trade unions were represented in the crowd. Some in the crowd held up banners saying: "Strike back against racism", "Refugees welcome" and "Riots don't speak for Belfast". The protest was organised by the group United Against Racism. An anti-racism protest also took place at Londonderry's Guildhall. It was organised by United Against Racism - Derry and North West. The event in Belfast started with the crowd chanting: "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here. Who is Belfast? We are Belfast." Speaker Ivanka Antova, the chair of United Against Racism Belfast, said: "This week we witnessed something we will n