Police are investigating a sharp rise in racially motivated attacks on black Africans living in the loyalist Village area of south Belfast.
In the past two weeks, British army bomb disposal teams were called out to defuse pipe-bombs left at the homes of Africans in the Donegall Avenue area of the city.
Suspected loyalists linked to white supremacist organisations have also subjected several African families in the Village area to abuse and hate mail in the past six weeks.
Racist graffiti and graffiti references to racists groups, such as the National Front and Combat 18, have also appeared in the area. There is a long history of loyalist paramilitaries having connections with such groups as the National Front and the British National Party (BNP).
Nobody was injured in the bomb attacks, but at least seven black African families have fled the Village area in recent weeks, according to Dr Joseph Uhomoibhi, chairman of the Northern Ireland African Cultural Centre in Belfast.
Between 50 and 60 black families are housed in the Village area. "There have been some attacks on Africans living in Ballymena, Coleraine and Craigavon in the past but never anything so concerted as these incidents," said Dr Uhomoibhi, a Nigerian lecturer in computing and physics at Queen's University.
"This is really, really worrying. I don't know why it is happening because Africans here don't have enemies. In fact they are ambassadors for Northern Ireland because they tell the outside world how peaceful it is here," he added.
Dr Uhomoibhi said he did not believe that loyalist paramilitary groupings were centrally involved in the attacks, but rather that it was the work of racist individuals.
As part of an outreach programme, he said that he and others in the African Cultural Centre regularly travelled to Catholic, Protestant and integrated schools all around Northern Ireland.
Recent years have seen a higher incidence of racist attacks in Northern Ireland. In his annual report, published last week, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Mr Hugh Orde, reported there were almost 700 recorded racist incidents in the past three years.
Last month, the North's Equality Commission published a report stating there was a higher rate of racist attacks in Northern Ireland than in England and Wales. The rate of racist attacks in Northern Ireland is 16.4 per 1,000 of the population, compared to England and Wales, where attacks are 12.6 per 1,000.
Ms Joan Harbison, head of the North's Equality Commission said that research showed that people in Northern Ireland were more likely to be racist than sectarian.
In the past year the homes of Filipino nurses were targeted in Ballymena; Portuguese workers were subjected to racism in Portadown, Co Armagh, and Coalisland, Co Tyrone; and two Italians working at Ballylumford power station in Co Antrim were attacked and badly beaten by an armed gang at Ballycarry, near Carrickfergus, Co Antrim.
Over 1,000 Portuguese are estimated to be working in the meat industry around Dungannon, basing themselves mainly in Dungannon and Portadown. Police and community groups in Dungannon are co-operating to try to ensure that the Portuguese, many on short-term work contracts, are welcomed into the local community.
The latest census figures show that there are about 1,100 people of black African, black Caribbean or other black origin living in Northern Ireland, although with refugees and asylum-seekers the true figure is estimated to be higher.
The census shows there are about 2,700 people of Asian background in the North, while the largest ethnic group is Chinese. According to the census, there are 4,145 Chinese people in Northern Ireland, although Mr Patrick Yu of the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities believes the real figure is closer to 10,000.
Mr Yu warned that white supremacist groups would continue to try to gain a toehold in Northern Ireland. "Racism comes as a result of fear and ignorance and the best way to stamp it out is through education," he said.
