BELFAST, United Kingdom, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people gathered in central Belfast on Saturday for an anti-racism rally following days of disorder during which homes, businesses and vehicles were targeted.
The "Together Against Hate" rally began at Belfast City Hall at around 1 p.m. local time. Political parties and trade unions were represented in the crowd, while demonstrators held banners reading "No Place for Racism" and "Choose kindness, not violence."
Belfast's Lord Mayor Rois-Maire Donnelly extended her sympathies to the attempted murder victim and others who were attacked in the city while addressing the crowd.
"Diversity enriches our city, and I'll not be deterred from championing that," she said.
"I'm sick of violence, and I'm sick of really awful people behaving like this on our streets and in our communities," Louise Taylor, a resident of the town of Dungannon, told Xinhua. She said the violence must stop, adding that locals want visitors of all backgrounds to feel safe on the streets.
Another participant, Garry Harper, a Jamaican-British man, told Xinhua that he had lived in Northern Ireland since 2001. He said many of his friends had been afraid to leave their homes following the disorder.
Harper brought his grandchildren to the rally to show that the families targeted by racist violence were part of the community.
"We want to show the people who have been racist that there are children in these houses they are trying to burn," he said.
A few people also turned up to voice opposition to immigration. As the rally drew to a close, one man became involved in an argument with members of the crowd and was escorted away by police.
The rally came after several days of anti-immigration disorder following a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night.
Footage of the attack circulated widely on social media. A man remains in serious condition in hospital. A 30-year-old Sudanese national appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning and was remanded in custody after being charged with attempted murder and other offenses.
Anti-immigration protests began on Tuesday but quickly escalated into violence. Masked groups attacked police and set fire to homes and vehicles in several areas. Further disorder followed on Wednesday, prompting police to deploy water cannon.
Britain's communications regulator, the Office of Communications, said on Wednesday that some of the unrest appeared to have been fueled online. It urged online service providers to act against illegal content that could stir up hatred or provoke violence.
Fire-damaged homes could be seen boarded up on Friday, while gas utility workers carried out repairs on Lendrick Street and nearby McMaster Street in east Belfast, where fires had spread during the unrest.
A heightened police presence remained in place over the weekend. According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, mutual-aid support had been brought in from forces across Great Britain, with around 200 additional officers deployed.
