Anna Lo MLA “I am really concerned that another racist attack has taken place in Belfast. Urgent action must be taken to combat this problem. This incident is just the latest in a number of racist attacks in recent months.
“I have been speaking to the Police in recent weeks about what can be done. They have indicated that they would be convening an urgent meeting of the Belfast City Council Tension Monitoring Group and all relevant stakeholders. I would be in favour of this taking place and hope that an early meeting can happen so that we can organise an inter-agency approach to this issue.
“As Chair of the Assembly Group on Ethnic Minorities, I will also be calling for an urgent meeting of our group to see what we as politicians can do to tackle this problem. We must send a clear message to those responsible that there is no place for racism in our society.
“A number of ethnic minorities have expressed their concerns about their safety following recent attacks. However, the vast majority of the people of Belfast have expressed their opposition to these attacks.
“I hope this young man will make a swift recovery from the injuries he sustained. No one deserves to be a victim of a racist attack. Those responsible are vile individuals who must be urgently apprehended by the Police, so I would urge anybody with any information about this attack to contact the Police.”
ENDS