West Belfast: Anti-immigration signage a 'hate incident'

Graffiti at the Kennedy Centre on the Falls Road

Anti-immigration signage erected in west Belfast is being treated as a hate incident, police have said.

A sign, which appeared in the Tildarg Avenue area, said that the community "will no longer accept the re-housing of illegal immigrants".

The poster also used an offensive term while referring to "other communities".

Graffiti reading "Irish lives matter" was also daubed on the wall of the Kennedy Centre on the Falls Road overnight.

People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll said there was "no place in our society for this kind of racist poison".

"We are under no illusions that 'Irish Lives Matter' is a racist slogan which is directly counterpoised to movements against the oppression faced by black people and other ethnic minorities," he said.

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The signage appeared in the Tildarg Avenue area

Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey described the signs as "disgraceful", adding that they had been "erected in an attempt to create fear and intimidate people".

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

Housing Executive chief executive Grainia Long said the organisation did not believe incidents like this "reflect the values of the local community".

"All our housing allocations will continue to be carried out in line with the rules of the common housing selection scheme," she said.

Earlier this month, similar signs were placed in the Belvoir estate in south Belfast.

Anyone with information on the erection of the signage has been asked to contact police.