Belvoir: Protest held outside social housing tower blocks

More than 100 people attended the protest in the Belvoir estate in south Belfast on Tuesday

More than 100 people have attended a protest outside two social housing tower blocks in the Belvoir estate in south Belfast.

Attendees were protesting about what they say is an inadequate supply of social housing for the local community.

Last week, anti-immigration signs were erected alongside the tower blocks and throughout the estate.

Placards and banners warned that the local community "will no longer accept the re-housing of illegal immigrants".

The police are treating the erection of the posters as a "hate incident".

Community representatives have said there is also concern in the community about the provision of homes to people, from outside the area, who have anti-social criminal records.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) said windows and a door were subsequently smashed on one of the tower blocks and a worker was threatened by a gang of men who were wearing masks.

The two high rise tower blocks are to be demolished in the next two to three years and many residents have already been moved to alternative housing.

Two signs were erected close to high rise tower blocks in the estate last week

The Housing Executive has said it had been considering using five of the vacated flats on a "temporary" basis to provide accommodation for people who are homeless.

The NIHE chief executive Grainia Long said the proposed temporary tenants would most likely have been placed in the flats because Belvoir was their area of choice.

She said they would have been people "probably with a connection to that estate".

After meeting the NIHE last week, a local DUP councillor, Sarah Bunting, said a party delegation had received "confirmation that there will not be any allocations into those flats at this time".

Stephen Drake from the Belvoir Area Residents Group says there is concern many people with strong family links to the area are unable to get social housing locally

In advance of the protest, the Belvoir Area Residents Group posted a message on social media stating that it had been made aware of a protest. It was not involved with organising the protest.

"While we understand the frustrations around the lack of social housing and the proposal that had been put forward by NIHE, we would ask that everyone attending remains calm and respectful," it said.

Speaking to BBC News NI, Stephen Drake from the group said the wording on the posters has not helped the community campaign for more social housing for local families.

He said there is concern in the community that many people with strong family links to the area are unable to get social housing locally.

Anti-immigrant signs in Rathcoole

Anti-immigrant signs have also been erected in the Newtownabbey estate of Rathcoole.

Meanwhile, signs with an anti-immigrant message have also been erected throughout parts of the predominantly loyalist estate of Rathcoole in Newtownabbey.

The signs relate to social housing and refer to what is described as "illegal immigrants".

The message on the placards, which have been placed on poles and railings in the area, also states: "The time has come locals only."

The signs, which have a threatening tone, also contain a warning saying that "we will no longer accept the rehoming of immigrants" in the Rathcoole Housing Estate.

Police said they were aware of posters that had been been erected in West Crescent in Newtownabbey within the last few days.

They said it was being treated as a hate incident and they are engaging with community representatives in the area.