Northern Ireland

West Belfast: Police investigating anti-immigration signage as 'hate crime'

The sign appeared on a lampost in the Suffolk area. Picture from BBC
The sign appeared on a lampost in the Suffolk area. Picture from BBC

Police are treating the erection of anti-immigration signage in west Belfast as a "hate incident".

A sign stating that the community "will no longer accept the re-housing of illegal immigrants" appeared in the loyalist Suffolk area.

The poster, which was attached to a lamp post in Tildarg Avenue and used an offensive term, called for immigrants not to be housed there.

Earlier this month, graffiti appeared in the area warning the Northern Ireland Housing Executive that a property will be “wrecked” if the agency fails to allocate the home to “locals”.

A message to private landlords was also posted, claiming they were overcharging tenants and with the threat to adjust the rent or sell the property.

Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey described the latest signs as "disgraceful".

"Political and community leaders must stand together to continue building a safe, welcoming and inclusive society for all," he said.

Read more:

  • Graffiti daubed on property in west Belfast estate warning NIHE to allocate to "locals only"
  • Further posters erected with anti-immigrant message, this time in Newtownabbey estate

“It’s deeply concerning and disgraceful that these offensive and racist signs have been erected in an attempt to create fear and intimidate people.

“There is no place for this type of behaviour in our society."

It comes as graffiti stating "Irish lives matter" was also daubed on the wall of the Kennedy Centre on the upper Falls Road.

Gerry Carroll of People Before Profit condemned those behind the incidents in west Belfast in recent days.

“There is no place in our society for this kind of racist poison,” he said.

“We are under no illusions that ‘Irish Lives Matter’ is a racist slogan which is directly counterposed to the oppression faced black people and other ethnic minorities."

He added that his party has "contacted the relevant agencies to have these racist signs and graffiti removed from our streets".