Romanians who fled their homes last week because of racist attacks have begun leaving Northern Ireland to return home, it was revealed today as a church that gave them sanctuary came under attack.

Almost a week after the families took shelter in the Presbyterian City Church, south Belfast, its windows were smashed in overnight attacks. Three men, all aged 20, have been arrested.

Twenty-five of the Romanians have already gone home while another 75 are to follow them in the coming days. Seventeen have decided to stay in Northern Ireland, Margaret Ritchie, Stormont’s Social Development Minister, said.

The Romanians’ flights home are being paid by the Housing Executive, an agency of the province’s Social Development Ministry, under 2002 emergency legislation that provides for families with children who are threatened with homelessness.

“We are not a racist society, but it’s time we took a serious look at ourselves,” Ms Ritchie said. “There is an urgency to build a shared society. We live apart. We are educated apart, and therefore it is no surprise that there is a ‘them and us’ attitude. We have to work to challenge that attitude. There must be total respect for political, religious and ethnic differences.”

Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister, branded the attack on the City Church “totally and absolutely wrong, totally shameful and totally unforgivable”. He said the church and its pastor, Malcolm Morgan, had been a symbol of goodness in their help for the Roma families.

Mr McGuinness said he was concerned at shouting of the name of Combat 18, a violent racist group. “Young people in all probability have been watching what has happened over recent weeks in the European elections in England and the so-called success of the British National Party. So there is a real danger here of a copycat situation. That is highly regrettable. There are an awful lot of sectarian bigots and racist bigots within our society, of that there can be no doubt.”

He said that if politicians and community leaders did not set an example “we are doomed to revisit this in the coming weeks and months”.

At the church Mr Morgan said a few broken windows “was a small price to pay” for the help he had been able to give the Romanian families. “The community in this locality have been superb with their support. We have had so many phone calls this morning and donations given,” he said. “This will always be a safe refuge. Our doors are always open and if it happens again our doors will still be open.”

A man was remanded in custody charged with intimidating Romanian people in Belfast. Shane Murphy, 21, denies the charge. His solicitor, who had applied for bail on his client’s behalf, said Mr Murphy also denied a further charge of acting provocatively by shouting racist comments at a rally on Lisburn Road in the city last week.

The judge, sitting at Belfast Magistrates’ Court, refused bail because he said there was a danger that Mr Murphy could interfere with witnesses.

Two more teenagers were arrested late last night over the attacks on the Romanian families last week. The pair, aged 16 and 17, were held in south Belfast on suspicion of provocative conduct and intimidation.

Yesterday two boys aged 15 and 16 appeared in Belfast Youth Court charged in relation to the incidents.

Sir Hugh Orde, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said he respected the decision of the Romanian families to leave but was confident that his officers had done their best to make sure that they could feel safe staying. He denied reports that police had been slack in responding to emergency calls from the Romanians.

“My officers were routinely at those calls within 10 minutes and on one occasion they were there within seconds,” he said.

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