Sister Condemns 'Sickening' Racist Attack on Healthcare Worker Siblings in Londonderry

The sister of two people injured in a racially-motivated assault in Londonderry has described the ordeal as "sickening", saying the attack has left her family deeply shaken. According to BBC News, police are investigating three assaults and an incident of criminal damage in the Waterside area of the city on Sunday night, with all three incidents believed to be linked and treated as racially-motivated hate crimes.

The sister, who requested anonymity to protect her siblings' identities, said they were subjected to racial abuse before being attacked by a group of men, one of whom was armed with a baton. The incidents occurred within approximately 30 minutes on Sunday evening, according to Highland Radio, which reported that police have dedicated resources to the investigation and plan targeted patrols in the area.

What happened during the attack?

The sister recounted the sequence of events that unfolded when her siblings were confronted.

They were talking after she had parked her car at the side of the road when they were confronted and racially abused by a group of men. One of them punched her first and then they hit the windscreen with a baton.

Her sister suffered injuries to her mouth during the assault.

My sister was punched and when they hit the windscreen, because she was already screaming, her mouth was open and when they hit the windscreen some of the glass particles went into her mouth.

The woman managed to escape by returning to her vehicle and driving away, but the attackers then turned their attention to her brother who remained at the scene.

The brother sustained serious injuries during the subsequent assault.

After she had gone, he was still standing there and then they were attacking him and beating him with what was like a baton. He has two fractures in one of his legs and has to go back again for another scan.

According to The Irish News, the 28-year-old man struck with an iron bar is originally from Nigeria, has worked at a local care home for over a year, and remains in Altnagelvin Hospital with a suspected broken tibia.

The sister expressed her distress at the severity of the assault.

They tried to break both his legs.

Both siblings work in the healthcare profession, and her brother will now have to take time off from his position in a care home because of the extent of his injuries.

He can't stand on his own.

Why were they targeted?

The sister struggled to comprehend the motivation behind the attack on her siblings.

We are not troubling anyone and they were picked on because of their colour and it doesn't make any sense. They just picked out random people going about their day and you just decided to attack them and it's sickening.

She emphasised that her family had done nothing to provoke the assault.

We are not troubling anybody and you just decided to pick on people because of their colour, gender or race and it doesn't make any sense.

Her sister has been living and working in Derry since 2021, while her brother, who arrived last year, also calls the city his home.

What were the three separate incidents?

Police documented three distinct assaults occurring in rapid succession on Sunday evening. The first incident took place at approximately 21:00 when the woman stopped her vehicle near Dales Corner. She was punched and the windscreen of her vehicle was smashed during this assault.

At around 21:20, a man was reportedly confronted by a number of males as he walked along the Bond Street and Dales Corner area before being struck to the lower body with an iron bar. This was the incident that resulted in the serious leg fractures requiring hospitalisation.

A third incident was reported at around 21:30, when another man was allegedly assaulted inside licensed premises in the area. According to Belfast Telegraph, this man was chased while trying to escape but managed to reach safety and get help.

What has the community response been?

The North West Migrants Forum (NWMF) issued a statement expressing their outrage at the attacks. They described the assaults as

disgraceful, unprovoked assaults based on nothing more than the victims' skin colour

and called for those responsible to face justice.

A spokesperson for the NWMF stated their belief about the broader community.

We believe these attacks to be the actions of a few individuals and that they do not reflect the views of the wider Waterside community, many of whom have befriended and shown support to our members.

They expressed hope that those responsible would be identified and brought before the courts, adding that

behaviour like this cannot go unpunished.

Superintendent Sinead McIldowney of the Police Service of Northern Ireland condemned the attacks.

There is no place in our city for this shameful type of behaviour.

She outlined the police response, stating that

we will continue to use targeted patrols to help keep the city streets as safe as possible and have dedicated resources to investigating these reports.

The superintendent also emphasised the importance of community engagement.

We meet regularly with partner agencies, local representatives and members of the community and we remain committed to working alongside them to address concerns.

Context of recent attacks in Northern Ireland

This incident is part of a concerning pattern of racially-motivated violence in Northern Ireland. In June, two men were injured in a racially-motivated assault in Coleraine, with one hospitalised and police arresting a man in his 40s. Earlier that month, a man in County Antrim expressed fears for his life after multiple racist attacks on his home and car, ultimately deciding to leave Northern Ireland due to ongoing threats.

In August, two children were injured after stones were thrown through a house window in Holywood, with police treating the incident and a second nearby attack as racially motivated hate crimes. That same month, a Syrian man said his life had been destroyed after an alleged racially motivated attack on his Holywood home left his children injured and forced his family to leave.

In October, police also investigated a separate suspected sectarian assault on a teenage boy in the Waterside, one of several recent attacks reported in the area.

What happens next?

Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone with relevant footage to contact them. Those with information are urged to call 101 and quote reference 1583 of 08/11/26. Superintendent McIldowney encouraged anyone affected by crime motivated by hate to contact police to enable them to take action.