The WhatsApp Underground

In June 2026, racist violence erupted across Northern Ireland. Masked groups circulated lists of homes where people of colour were believed to be living, forcing more than a hundred people to flee.

As houses burned around her, Maria barricaded herself inside with her two teenage daughters, filling buckets, mugs and the bath with water in case their home was attacked.

Then across Belfast, other networks formed. When community workers, like Clare and Ciara, recognised the addresses of food bank users on the target lists, they got into their cars and began moving families to safety. It was organised via an improvised WhatsApp group, which brought together drivers, spare rooms, food and emergency support.

For Ciara, the rescue carried a painful echo - she found herself driving along the same street where her own family had been burned out during the Troubles decades earlier.

Tara Mills tells the story of the ordinary people who mobilised against the violence using WhatsApp groups and hears from the communities still living with its consequences.

A Walk On Air Films production for BBC Radio 4