Racism high in unionist areas, Lilian Seenoi-Barr claims

Lilian Seenoi-Barr is director of the Londonderry-based North West Migrants Forum and an SDLP councillor

A director of a group which helps ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland has claimed that racism is "incredibly high in unionist areas".

However, she told a Westminster committee that hate crime occurs in unionist and nationalist communities.

Lilian Seenoi-Barr also accused DUP MP Gregory Campbell of having "instigated hate crime" with comments made recently about the TV show Songs of Praise.

Mr Campbell strongly rejected the claim.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has been taking evidence on the experiences of ethnic minority communities living in Northern Ireland.

Ms Seenoi-Barr, director of the Londonderry-based North West Migrants Forum, said: "Our reality on the ground is that many people who come to my office that I help live in unionist areas.

"That does not mean that people who live in nationalist areas do not experience racism or hate crime because they do and we have evidence to show that.

"But it is incredibly high in unionist areas."

'Most depressing thing'

Mr Campbell said there needed to be more data available to make "a better assessment" of her claims.

He said: "If immigrants are primarily located in unionist or loyalist areas then that might give a context in terms of the greater likelihood of them being attacked where they are more likely to live."

Ms Seenoi-Barr replied: "In Derry most of our ethnic minorities live in the Waterside because they are nurses and doctors in Altnagelvin Hospital and availability of houses could be in a predominantly unionist area.

"So that could be the reason."

Gregory Campbell said he "engaged in no hate crime whatsoever"

She went on to state that "the most depressing thing" for ethnic communities, who make up about 2% of the Northern Ireland population, is that "politicians do not stand with us when we need them".

Ms Seenoi-Barr, who is also an SDLP councillor, said: "They will condemn hate crime attacks but you never hear issues of minority people discussed unless there is a hate crime on the media."

Songs of Praise controversy

She then went on to make accusations against Mr Campbell.

In February, Mr Campbell was criticised after describing the number of black people on an edition of Songs of Praise as "the BBC at its BLM (Black Lives Matter) worst".

A number of anti-racism and ethnic minority organisations called on him to apologise.

"He instigated hate crime within our community by just asking why there were no white people on a programme," said Ms Seenoi-Barr.

"If our politicians use language that fuels hate we are the people who experience that hate."

Mr Campbell hit back at her remarks.

"I'm going to make it absolutely clear I engaged in no hate crime whatsoever," he said.

"It does a disservice to this committee and witnesses who come before it to assert that someone was engaged in hate crime who has been has been the victim of hate crime over many, many years."