Concern has been raised over fresh racist graffiti and anti-immigration signage appearing in Antrim.
Slogans including ‘blacks out’ and ‘Antrim says no - save our kids’ have appeared in recent days, including on the walls of the town’s main shopping centre, Castle Mall.
Outside Antrim Civic Centre, which hosts meetings of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, a sign has been placed stating ‘no more migrants or civil unrest’.
The slogans follow recent anti-immigration disorder in Belfast, but also come after neo-nazi ‘Combat 18′ graffiti appeared on the walls of a new shared housing development in Antrim last month.
Posters also appeared in the town’s Ballycraigy estate in July, warning landlords, housing associations and the NI Housing Executive against ‘undesirables and immigrants being placed in our community’ and stating ‘no multiculturalism’, while some houses were sprayed with a black ‘X’.
South Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney said the latest incidents are a further attempt by loyalist paramilitary elements to intimidate residents, including through the erection of flags outside St Comgall’s Catholic church and close to a Tesco supermarket in the town centre.
“What has appeared in recent days cannot be disassociated from what we have seen in Antrim over the last number of weeks with the whipping up of racist and sectarian tension,” he told the Irish News.
“This cannot be allowed to continue. We saw how the posters and graffiti in Ballycraigy ultimately led to people not taking up the houses that had been allocated to them as they were too frightened.”
An anti-immigration protest in Antrim was held last Saturday, but was not attended by a large number of people.
“I have previously been assured that a proactive policing approach is in place in Antrim, including deployment of additional resources to provide for an increased police presence in the areas affected,” Mr Kearney said.
“My concern now is that the issues affecting vulnerable residents could develop, as these things can lead to copycat actions.
A PSNI spokesperson said officers were investigating the graffiti in Antrim, along with slogans appearing the Newtownabbey and Rathcoole areas, as racially motivate hate crimes.
“We will do everything we can as a Police Service to ensure that everyone, no matter what their background, feels safe in their community,” they said.
“Targeting anyone because of who they are is wrong, and must be called out.”
Police have also said officers were aware of the signage in Antrim’s Stiles Way.
“Our local Neighbourhood Policing Team have been undertaking enquiries in the area and anyone who has any information in regard to the erection of the notices is asked to contact police on 101,” the spokesperson added.
