Racism: Attacked nurses lived in disused hospital building – BBC News

Signs were taped to the windows of some of the homes

Conor Spackman, Denise O'Connor

Published17 September 2024

Nurses who were forced to leave an estate in County Antrim in July after racist intimidation spent several weeks living in a hospital with their children.

BBC Spotlight visited the disused building tucked away in a corner of Whiteabbey Hospital, turned into the most basic accommodation.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) did not tell the nurses, on temporary visas, that they could apply for support for emergency housing.

The NIHE told Spotlight it was not permitted to give "immigration advice".

PSNI Image caption: the windows of a car belonging to a nurse from Zimbabwe were smashed in Antrim in July

Eight families, originally from Africa, fled the Ballycraigy estate after a number of racist attacks.

Anti-immigration posters were taped to the windows of some properties, while others had a large black X spray painted across them.

Several car windows were also smashed.

At the time, one of the families told BBC News NI: “Even when we were looking for accommodation, no-one told us that this was a no-go area.”

Three of the nurses and their families, including young children, lived in the disused building in Whiteabbey Hospital in Newtownabbey before finding accommodation.

Spotlight has spoken to families off camera as they say they are still too afraid to speak publicly out of fear of reprisal.

In the plain, sparsely decorated room they were using as a lounge, a games console in front of the television is a reminder that children had been forced to live there.

Image caption: a black X was sprayed across the front window of a house in the Ballycraigy estate in Antrim

When they initially fled their privately rented houses on the estate, some turned to the NIHE for potential support.

The NIHE told them that their temporary visas meant they were not permitted access to public funds and therefore could not get emergency accommodation.

But when Spotlight asked the Home Office, it said people on temporary visas can apply for emergency support if their circumstances have changed.

In response to questions from BBC Spotlight, the NIHE said it could not offer immigration advice.

"Our role is to determine eligibility for housing and homelessness assistance," a statement added.

It also said it utterly condemned the attacks on the families in Ballycraigy and would play its part in tackling race hate.

'Health service would collapse'

Image caption: Mike Nesbitt has been Health Minister since May 2024

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt told BBC News NI that without staff from overseas, the health service would collapse.

“As health minister, I would just say to the people who intimidated those nurses, if you need healthcare and it’s delivered by those nurses, you will get the most compassionate and professional service possible, even if they know your background," Nesbitt said.

He added he was surprised when he heard the nurses were living in temporary accommodation.

"It’s something I think we have to think about collectively as government departments and arms length bodies and I think we should all be in lessons learned mode at this point," he said.

'Deeply distressing'

Northern Trust chief executive Jennifer Welsh described the attacks on health service workers as "deeply distressing".

"Sadly there have been a number of incidents in recent months where members of our staff have been subjected to racial abuse and felt threatened," she said.

"This is totally unacceptable. I want to send a strong message that our entire workforce has my support and the support of our community.

"We will continue to offer our support to any members of staff who have been impacted by these recent events.”

Image caption: Takura Makoni's home was targeted in south Belfast earlier this year

One of those who tried to support the nurses was Takura Makoni, policy officer at the African and Caribbean Support Network.

He also moved home after being subjected to racist graffiti earlier this year.

He told the programme: “I want you to try and imagine if suddenly every healthcare worker from another country was to go back to their own country.

“Are you telling me those lads who are throwing bricks into the windows are going to get jobs as nurses and start taking care of their own mums and nans?

“Because they won’t do it. That’s why people are getting on planes to come and do those jobs.”

• Spotlight: Summer of Shame is on BBC One NI on Tuesday at 22:40 BST and is available now on BBC iPlayer.