Islamic Centre receives far-right racist threats

Wednesday, 1 July 2009

Members of a south Belfast Islamic community centre are in fear of being attacked after it was targeted by a threatening racist letter from a loyalist far-right organisation this week.

The Belfast Islamic Centre on Wellington Park was among organisations, businesses and politicians in south Belfast that have received racist threats over the last few days.

Hong Kong-born South Belfast MLA Anna Lo, the only member of the Northern Ireland Assembly who is from an ethnic minority background, received a visit by police on Monday evening to warn her of a threat to attack her home.

Ms Lo, who has lived in Belfast for nearly 35 years, said she also knew of threatening letters sent to Polish and Islamic centres in Belfast by loyalist far-right groups threatening to bomb at least one of the premises.

The Islamic Centre, established in 1978 by a group of Muslims from the local community, received a threatening letter on Monday claiming to be from a loyalist far-right organisation stating: “Keep Northern Ireland for white British people.”

Muhammad al-Qaryooti, the centre's director, said the letter was extremely racist.

“The letter said they had ‘no sympathy for foreigners — get out of the Queen's country’,” said Mr al-Qaryooti.

He said that people in the centre, which acts as a place of worship and a community and advice centre, feel frightened and upset about the threats.

“People feel frightened. We tried not to tell people but we have informed the police,” he said.

“People feel very upset and angry about this behaviour. We feel this group is trying to hijack the issues of immigration and race for their own propaganda.

“We want to tell people that we are here, we are Northern Irish and Irish, we have lived here for years and we have been born here — we have integrated. The Muslim people are part of this society.

“We ask MPs to take strong action to help prosecute any members of these groups.”

Mr al-Qaryooti added that the centre receives racist letters from time-to-time but the fact that this letter came from this organisation is alarming.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “We do not discuss the security of individuals. However, if we receive information that a person's life may be at risk we will inform them accordingly.”

Northern Ireland politician Anna Lo warns of racist threats by loyalist far-right groups

MLA says letters warned of bomb threat against premises

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

A Hong Kong-born politician who champions the causes of ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland has been warned she is under threat of attack.

The Alliance Party’s Anna Lo, who has lived in Belfast for nearly 35 years, is the only member of the Northern Ireland Assembly who is from an ethnic minority background.

Yesterday, as Assembly members discussed a spate of racist and sectarian attacks in the region, she revealed she had been warned by police of a threat to attack her.

Ms Lo later said she also knew of threatening letters sent to Polish and Islamic centres in Belfast by loyalist far-right groups threatening to bomb at least one of the premises.

“People from ethnic minority communities are very frightened,” she said.

Ms Lo represents the south Belfast area where a series of attacks on Romanian families forced more than 100 people from their homes with most eventually leaving Northern Ireland.

It emerged last week that Ms Lo received threats in two letters and two emails but yesterday she told the Assembly she had now been warned by police of further threats.

“Myself and a large number of ethnic minority people this weekend and today have received serious threats upon our safety,” she said.

“I have never seen ethnic minorities so fearful in Northern Ireland.”

She appealed for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to speed up efforts to agree a new government strategy to tackle racism and sectarianism.

Last night, Ms Lo said she was visited by police and told they had received a threat to attack her home.

She said police were told that a Chinese business, which has been targeted in the past, would also be attacked.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it could not comment on individual cases.