People in KKK robes waved crosses outside an Islamic center in Northern Ireland

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

People in KKK robes waved crosses outside an Islamic center in Northern Ireland

By Amanda Erickson October 29 at 10:58 AM

When the Bangladeshi Islamic Community Center opened in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, there was some uneasiness among the non-Muslim locals. But quickly, things settled down.

Politician Naomi Armstrong-Cotter told the Irish News in 2015 that there are “no issues.” “Groups from across the area have made an effort to integrate with them and have had cooking lessons from the Bangladeshis,” she said. “They keep themselves to themselves. There is no proselytizing going on here."

It seemed like an integration success story. “We have many businesses run by Muslims in Newtownards and many of the Muslim nursing staff at the Ulster Hospital live here,” one store owner told Belfast Live.

Then things began to change.

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And on Saturday, a group of people dressed like Ku Klux Klansmen posed outside the center. Photos of the gathering show nine people dressed in pointed hoods and white robes. Some bear crosses; others have their fists raised. One witness said he saw someone perform a fascist salute.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/10/29/people-ku-klux-klan-robes-waved-fists-crosses-outside-an-islamic-center-northern-ireland/

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