Takura Makoni, a community worker with the African and Caribbean Support Organisation in Northern Ireland, has stated that he will not be intimidated into silence after his home was defaced with “hate-motivated” graffiti. Mr Makoni’s residence was targeted in the early hours of Sunday, and police are treating the incident as a hate crime.
Mr Makoni believes that he has been singled out for speaking out on issues affecting his community. He told the BBC that he hoped to use the incident to “create a dialogue to move towards a more cohesive society”. While his teenage son urged him to stop his community work after the incident, Makoni affirmed that he had always felt welcomed in Northern Ireland and did not intend to stop his work.
South Belfast Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl condemned the incident. Speaking to the press, she described the graffiti as “an appalling and sinister attack which was designed to threaten Takura for speaking out”, adding that she hoped all political parties would “condemn racism”. PSNI Chief Inspector Mark Conway confirmed that the sentiment expressed was unacceptable, and appealed for anyone with related information to come forward.
Mr Makoni has lived in Northern Ireland for over twenty years and remains optimistic about building greater community cohesion. He has stated that if those responsible had knocked on his door instead of vandalising his home, he would have been happy to sit down and talk
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