Police remove anti-immigration sign in Tyrone village amid rising racial tensions
The sign, which carried the message "no illegal immigrants for one mile" with an image of a number of people in a small boat, was visible on the footpath in Moygashel on Monday
Police in Co Tyrone swiftly took down a controversial anti-immigration sign after it popped up alongside a road, causing a stir in a local village.
With a message reading "no illegal immigrants for one mile" and an image of individuals in a small boat, the offensive sign was planted on a footpath in Moygashel on Monday, just steps away from an Orange arch straddling the main street. It was removed by the PSNI at around 2.30pm on Monday afternoon, reports Belfast Live.
The incident comes amid simmering tensions over a spike in racist assaults and episodes tinged with racial animosity across Northern Ireland. The current period has seen a surge in such occurrences, with the past year to June 2024 witnessing more incidents reported than ever before, tallying up to 1,411 according to Nisra (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency).
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Those figures don't take into account a fresh wave of racially-charged incidents in August, which followed anti-immigration protests in Belfast.
The PSNI is investigating the matter, with Inspector Knipe saying: "The signage has been removed by officers, and the matter is being treated as a racially-motivated hate incident."
He went on to add: "Our local policing team have been undertaking enquiries in the area and anyone who has any information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 1011 of 02/09/24. Alternatively, you can report online at psni.police.uk/report or in confidence through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Recent unrest in Belfast and attacks on some businesses owned by people from minority ethnic backgrounds came at a time of tension across the UK following misinformation on social media after the murder of three young children in Southport.
Meanwhile, politicians have condemned graffiti that appeared over the weekend on a number of properties in a new housing development in Derry. Local representatives said the graffiti sprayed on some houses in the Church Brae area was racist and sectarian.
Chris Jackson of Sinn Fein said: "This is the latest vile and hate-driven attempt to intimidate people and families from living in brand new homes. There is an onus on all political and community leaders to stand united in calling out racist and sectarian intimidation."
SDLP's Sean Mooney also spoke out, saying: "The people who carried this out do not speak for the people of the Waterside where people from a diverse range of backgrounds live and work alongside each other. This attempt to create fear will be fully rejected and must be condemned by political leaders in the strongest possible terms."
On the same note, Gary Middleton, DUP Foyle MLA, insisted these actions are not reflective of the local ethos. Speaking to the BBC, he confirmed: "It's unacceptable and needs to be called out. We have to show as a society that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated."
Authorities are actively investigating the situation in Derry as a hate crime, asserting their commitment to clamping down on such abhorrent acts.
A spokesperson declared: "This will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our partners, community representatives and elected representatives. Hate crime has no place in our society whatsoever. Be reassured, we will be relentless in our approach to identify those involved."
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