'A van was set alight and pushed towards my home'

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. 'A van was set alight and pushed towards my home'Just now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleClaire QuinnBBC News NIBBCPaul Sharkey was frightened as masked men set fire to homes in his areaA County Antrim man has described his terror as homes were set on fire during a second night of disorder that followed a knife attack in Belfast earlier this week. Glengormley resident Paul Sharkey said he was "petrified" as he "witnessed masked man walking up our street and setting fire to homes". A clean up is under way after disorder was mainly concentrated along one street in the greater Belfast area, where police deployed water cannon to disperse a crowd.

Twelve police officers were injured and 16 people arrested after Tuesday night's violence. Health care workers were threatened and children evicted from their homes. Riot police came under sustained attack from a group throwing bricks, bottles and pieces of wood at a major roundabout to the north-west of Belfast.

The Details

"It was terrifying", Sharkey told News NI. "A van was sat alight and pushed towards my home. "I hardly slept a wink.

"Across the city, a nurse was walking into work at the Ulster hospital in Dundonald, when she was confronted by masked men and chased. Her union said she had done nothing wrong apart from having a "different colour of skin," to the majority of people who live in Northern Ireland. Despite this, the union said, she "bravely" continued with her Wednesday shift at the hospital.

PA MediaPatricia McKeown from Unison said a nurse was subjected to racist intimidation on her way to work'Racism, pure and simple'"When we saw the call to arms on social media we knew our overseas members would be under threat," Patricia McKeown from Unison told Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme. "There is no excuse for any of this. This is racism, pure and simple," she said.

What Experts Say

She said it was "not good enough to call for calm" and urged leaders to take action. The South Eastern Trust said it was "horrified" that a nurse on her way to work was "chased and intimated". The union also said that health workers had been left terrified after a "threat" was made against those from overseas who work at Whiteabbey hospital in County Antrim.

Meanwhile, staff living in the vicinity of Belfast City Hospital received letters through their doors, telling them to leave their homes or risk being burnt out. The Belfast Trust said it was "appalled that some of our staff have been subjected to racist abuse". The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, said international workers were "vital and provide an invaluable contribution to their patients and the wider community".

Other people living in Northern Ireland said they were "terrified" following the second night of violent protests. The intimidation followed a knife attack on Monday, where a man was left with serious injuries, including losing an eye.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.