ONE of the privileges of working at Queen’s University is belonging to a community that draws students and staff from well over 100 nations.

Every day I meet people who have travelled from across the world to study, teach, conduct research and build their futures in this city.

That is one reason why the events of recent days have been so deeply unsettling.

The immediate backdrop has been an appalling act of violence against a man in north Belfast. Public shock and anger were entirely understandable. No decent person could be indifferent to an attack of that nature.

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Yet what followed has, in some places, become something altogether different.

Homes have been attacked. Families have been intimidated. People with no connection whatsoever to the original incident have found themselves targeted because of the colour of their skin, the accent of their voice, or the country from which they came.

Whatever else we may call it, that is wrong.

No society can function without public confidence in safety, justice and the rule of law. People are entitled to ask difficult questions when serious crimes occur. They are entitled to expect honest answers.

But there is a profound difference between holding individuals accountable for their actions and assigning guilt to entire communities.

That is not justice. It is collective blame.

At Queen’s, some students and staff have found themselves anxious and unsettled by what they have witnessed. Practical support and reassurance have, in some cases, become necessary. That is regrettable enough.........

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