Show of support for Derry shop after latest in a series of racist incidents

A show of support for the staff and owners of the Cairo 24/7 shop in Derry will take place outside the Strand Road premises at 4 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.
The gathering is being organised by People before Profit following what they described as a campaign of intimidation. In the latest incident on Tuesday, one worker in the shop needed hospital treatment after he was attacked and racially abused.
People before Profit say this week’s incident is just one of hundreds of attacks over a four year period. They say staff are racially abused on an almost weekly basis, windows have been smashed on twelve occasions and damage has been caused to shutters and phone lines.
Police have advised the owners to fit a panic alarm because of the frequency of the attacks.
People before Profit say the shop’s owners, who are originally from Egypt, are being forced to live in terror due to the actions of a few bullies and thugs. They are calling on the community to rally around the owners and staff of Cairo 24-7 and show that the people of Derry with a long proud history of fighting for civil rights will not tolerate these attacks any longer.