An anti-racism rally has been organised by United Against Racism for 1pm this Saturday at Belfast City Hall.

It follows incidents of racist violence this week. On Tuesday, some ethnic minority families had to leave their homes after attacks. The unrest came after a knife attack in North Belfast on Monday.

West Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll said the attacks amounted to collective punishment and called for a strong public response. He noted that during evacuations, it was not state agencies but ordinary people, neighbours, workers and community groups, who stepped in to check on families and arrange shelter.

Mr Carroll said anti-racist groups had been inundated with offers of support, which he said showed that most people reject racist violence. He urged a large and unified turnout to send a message that such actions are not tolerated.

The trade union movement, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers, has given its support to the rally.