A SOUTH Belfast MLA has condemned racist graffiti which was sprayed on a house in a loyalist area of south Belfast.
The slogan "Locals only" was daubed on a derelict house in the Donegall Avenue in the Village, close to the Windsor Park football stadium.
South Belfast Ulster Unionist MLA Michael McGimpsey said: "These sentiments could clearly be taken as a threat and there is absolutely no excuse for threatening slogans anywhere.
"Such sentiments do not reflect the views of the local community. The Donegall Road and Village areas are undergoing major redevelopment and we want the local area to continue to benefit from investment and improvements to the benefit of all its residents."
The development comes a week after 51 Syrian refugees arrived in the north to begin a new life.
There have been a number of incidents in the Village where threatening graffiti of both a racist and sectarian nature has been daubed on properties this year.
In May, police said they were treating slogans painted on two homes in Tavanagh Street and Broadway as hate crimes.
Two months later, in the lead-up to July 12, an 8ft wooden cross was placed on the Donegall Road beside graffiti warning "Taigs enter at your own risk" and "Taigs will be dealt with."
