Lo sickened at 'no foreigners' sign at house for rent

12.03.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 12th Aug 2008

South Belfast Alliance MLA Anna Lo

South Belfast Alliance MLA Anna Lo has condemned a landlord that put up a sign at a house for rent on the bottom of the Donegall Road saying 'no foreigners'.

Anna Lo MLA said: "This is sickening. To treat other human beings like that is simply appalling. I hope action is taken to remove this sign immediately - we must never see anything like this again. By putting up a sign like this, the individual is breaking the law under the Race Relations Order 1997.

"Why would anyone do such a thing? Individuals who act in this way towards others are not welcome in our society. Their influence and input is nothing but negative and damaging to the community. Landlords should play a positive role in helping migrants feel welcome in the area instead of playing into the hands of racists. This despicable matter is unrepresentative of a community which is making significant progress.

"Migrants play a massively positive role in our community. They bring important cultural diversity to Northern Ireland and they contribute greatly to our economy."

ENDS