Minister to explore cash for Northern Ireland communities hit by race riots
Sarah Owen made comments at Labour conference after Belfast was hit by another summer of violence targeting Muslim and migrant communities
A government minister for Northern Ireland has said she will put forward new measures to improve community cohesion and put an “end to hatred” towards Muslim communities in the region.
Sarah Owen, who is parliamentary under-secretary for Northern Ireland as well as MP for Luton North, made the comments on Sunday during a discussion event hosted by the thinktank Equi at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Owen was appointed to the Northern Ireland role in July, having previously chaired the Commons equalities select committee.
Racist riots broke out in Belfast this summer after the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie on 8 June, with rioters targeting migrants’ homes and businesses. Minority-owned businesses were also attacked during far-right riots in summer 2024, with some completely destroyed. Overall, the most diverse area of Belfast saw a 161% increase in racist crimes between 2016 and 2025.
Addressing the audience in Liverpool, Owen said stepping into her new role had made her realise that she had taken “for granted that everywhere is as good as Luton” in terms of cohesion between different faith groups.
“As a minister for Northern Ireland, I want to put forward measures so that we see community cohesion, and an end to the hatred, no matter where it comes from,” she said. “That division — we have spent a long time trying to turn the tide on it, and there are very powerful, very rich voices often outside of the UK that want to see the return of it.”
Owen did not elaborate on what those measures might be — but, speaking to Hyphen after the event, she noted that the UK government had granted £4m in emergency funding to police in Northern Ireland following the riots this summer and said she was keen to explore potential funding for the targeted communities themselves that would help them rebuild after the attacks.
She pointed out that there are thousands of Muslims in Northern Ireland, meaning demand for prayer spaces dwarfs the number of mosques, of which there are reportedly as few as 12. “There are 10,500 Muslims living in Northern Ireland — where do they go and pray?” she said.
Owen added that she planned to visit the Belfast Islamic Centre, the largest in Northern Ireland, which has been targeted in a number of attacks over the years. Last summer, a “viable device” was thrown through one of its windows while worshippers were praying inside.
“We see the hatred and division reach our streets in places that do not have infrastructure, friendships and longstanding networks in the same way that other places in the UK do, like Luton,” said Owen. “We take for granted that we have those. There are places still in our country where it is not easy to be a Muslim.”
