HMO Owner's Cry: Attacks, Harassment, and Fears

0:00On April 6th, a businessman who owns several houses of multiple occupancy in East Belfast is calling out a wave of attacks on his properties. Last Tuesday morning around 130, Windows got smashed and anti-HMO graffiti sprayed on homes near Templemore Avenue, or kids were sleeping, inside. These hits tie into recent anti-immigration protests, led by known activists, an event by Silwitz Property Group at Windsor Park on canceled Thursday by the Irish Football Association over security fears from a planned demo, outside. Silwitz says his family has faced weeks of harassment, like his daughter getting doxed online and calls accusing her of housing illegal immigrants. Just for seeking an HMO license, he insists no one's renting to undocumented folks legally. He paints HMOs as a boost for the economy, housing young workers from Northern Ireland, the Republic, and beyond. Us at places like Citibank or the, Ulster Hospital bringing in cash to struggling areas.

1:00This all ramped up after last summer's racist clashes in Bally Meena, where false rumors linked locals to immigrants. A close friend of his had glass rained down on his family during one smash, duvet over their heads with young kids upstairs. Meanwhile, hundreds rallied in coal rain Saturday against HMOs and migrant hotels. Silwitz warns this intimidation could turn deadly, unless voices like his get heard.