Report: Immigration lawyers in Northern Ireland face growing threat from far-right

The report comes after three successive years of anti-immigration violence in Northern Ireland and says legal professionals representing asylum seekers and migrants are increasingly being targeted both online and in person.

Race-related incidents have also risen, with the PSNI recording 2,367 race incidents and 1,507 race crimes in 2025/26.

The report highlights an incident last month in which an account on X published the names and addresses of seven alleged immigration lawyers and law firms in Northern Ireland, adding: “Do with that what you will.”

Lawyers told researchers the threats had affected how they work and the measures they take to protect themselves, colleagues and clients.

Sinead Marmion, a solicitor at Belfast-based Phoenix Law, said there had been a backlash against lawyers representing asylum seekers.

“I try not to use X too much, but the odd time I maybe would have said something about the legal position of people arriving into the country. There was an onslaught after that on my own personal posts,” she told the Belfast Telegraph.

“That just gives me a reason to actually continue, I think, because what I receive and hear is probably a fraction of what people who are subject to racist attacks feel.

“I’ve had colleagues who have had direct threats and been spied on by the state, so it’s not a big comparison. But at the same time, it’s not what you want in your line of work.”

The report says the Law Society of Northern Ireland removed a publicly available list of immigration practitioners from its website in 2024 over safety concerns. Following disorder last month, it also temporarily disabled its online search function for immigration solicitors after inaccurate lists of practitioners were circulated online.

Ms Marmion said solicitors whose details appeared on the lists reported the matter to police and contacted one another to check on their welfare.

“But the threats on us are nothing compared to what our clients face daily, and it’s in our professional obligations to represent those unable to do so themselves without fear or favour,” she said.

Law Society president Mark Borland said the online circulation of solicitors’ details appeared intended to intimidate lawyers providing legal services to vulnerable people.

“The Law Society was made aware that inaccurate lists of solicitors practising in immigration and asylum were being circulated online, with the apparent intent of intimidating those providing important legal services to vulnerable people,” he said.

“We immediately reached out to all those on the lists and took the decision to temporarily disable the search function on our website to safeguard our members from the threat of violence.

“During this time, members of the public were able to contact us directly for help finding a solicitor. Protecting access to justice and the safety of solicitors were, and remain, urgent priorities for us.”

The society has since introduced a solicitor safety toolkit, a reporting facility for incidents and worked with the PSNI to establish a Lawyer Safety Liaison Group.

Mr Borland also called for stronger legal protection for solicitors.

“We need to call time on the culture of threats and abuse solicitors and their clients have been operating under,” he said.

“It jeopardises access to justice and undermines the rule of law. That is why we have called on political leaders to take immediate action by introducing a statutory presumption against a suspended sentence for those found guilty of attacking solicitors and other legal professionals.”