Residents of a south Belfast estate are being stirred by claims asylum seekers and refugees will be moved into two former public housing tower blocks due to be demolished.
The rumours, alluded to by South Belfast MLA Edwin Poots, are what drove in part the erection of posters by what appears to be a fringe element within Belvoir estate.
While the posters appeared to link illegal immigrants with "excrement", established residents said it referred to "drug dealers, thieves and paedophiles" moving into the flats and multi-occupancy houses in the estate.
Donal Lyons of the SDLP, who represents the Balmoral DEA, removed posters from lampposts on Tuesday. The PSNI said it is treating the placing of the posters as a hate incident, while a meeting of the Policing Board on Thursday was told officers are assessing whether there is any paramilitary link.
The posters called on the NI Housing Executive (NIHE) and private landlords to "take note", adding: "Belvoir will no longer accept the re-housing of illegal immigrants or the excrement of other communities".
The NIHE said it had been considering using a very small number of two bedroomed flats for short term accommodation "for local households".
Graffiti emerged on the estate on Thursday aimed at Mr Lyons.
Residents in conversation on social media largely distanced themselves from the language and tone of the posters, while the Belvoir Area Residents Group, well established and respected, made clear its volunteers had nothing to do with them.
In a statement, the group said: “There have been conversations with NIHE about the multis being used for 'temporary accommodation' after residents, many of whom have lived there a majority of their life, have been made to move out.
"Belvoir has always been welcoming to those from other cultures and we have some wonderful neighbours from Poland, Hungary, India and China to name a just a few, but we have also seen the multis being flooded at times with drug dealers, thieves and paedophiles.
"The multis now need to come down as soon as possible so new social housing can be built in its place, and we will work with NIHE to make sure it is the types of homes needed for the local community to stay and thrive."
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Two tower blocks, Belvoir and Breda, are due to be demolished by 2025 and residents, most of them NIHE tenants, have been moved out over the last two years. In conversations, residents referred to the blocks and claimed asylum seekers, refugees, may be moved into the flats.
Mr Poots, a former DUP leader, in a radio interview, claimed individuals involved in sex crimes, drug dealing and burglaries had moved into accommodation that previously housed locals.
People “wholly undesirable in other areas” were housed in the area, though adding the language used in the posters was “inappropriate and wrong”.
Mr Poots said ethnic minority communities had lived in Belvoir for years without issue.
The MLA echoed the "illegal immigrants" wording on the posters.
"Speculation that the flats are to be used for illegal immigrants is rife, and it is for (the Housing Executive) to confirm its veracity or deny it,” he said. "It should be understood that being against uncontrolled immigration does not make a person racist."
In response to the graffiti, Mr Lyons said: “Belvoir is a good and settled neighbourhood, but with a sinister element that always seeks to control and divide.
"Overall in this region we need to move away from this culture where people who won’t show their faces put up anonymous threats to try to dictate public policy.”
NIHE chief executive Grainia Long told the Irish News the authority contacted police upon being made aware of the signs.
She said the clearing of the two tower blocks "is ahead of schedule" and that following the demolition, new social housing will be built.
However, she said that due to the "unprecedented level of demand for temporary accommodation" NIHE has been "exploring ways of expanding the number of units available for those seeking assistance".
“We have been expanding our use of private rental accommodation and we have used a small number of properties from our own stock throughout Northern Ireland to allocate to households on a temporary basis," Ms Long said.
“As part of this - and because we have vacated the majority of flats in the two tower blocks in Belvoir - we had been considering using a very small number of two-bedroomed flats for short-term accommodation.
“This is to ensure the number of local households - including families with children - going into unsuitable hotel and B&Bs is kept to a minimum and this would not have an impact on the timescale for demolition."
She added: “We have been maintaining ongoing dialogue with the local community about our plans for the area. We had a useful meeting with local representatives, which enabled us to reiterate the position.”
