Residents fear 'what's next' after racist graffiti?

5 months ago 33

BBC A woman, pictured from the shoulders up, wearing a gold and red scarf and a black jacket. She has brown and blonde hair.

People living in a building where racist graffiti was sprayed are "now terrified" and fear "what's next", a community advocate has said.

Police are investigating recent anti-social behaviour in the Alfred Street area of Belfast and, in the latest incident, graffiti containing a racially offensive slur was sprayed on a wall inside the Bass Buildings.

Ana Chandran from the Belfast Asian Women's Academy said the graffiti was "not just a racial slur it was also a death threat".

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the incident is being treated as a racially motivated hate crime.

A photo of the entrance to the Bass Buildings apartment complex in Belfast city centre. The six storey residential building is a mix of red brick and grey or pale render or blocks. It has large arched windows and there are two stone or concrete columns on either side of the glass front doors. A set of grey steps are visible through the doors. There is a a large column of windows above the entrance, through which can be seen a tiered staircase running up the middle of the building.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Monday, Chandran described this as "absolutely shocking".

"It's sad that we are losing are freedoms slowly, we can't even speak our own language when we are outside and we have to be careful - looking over our shoulder," Chandran said.

"I can't believe it has come to this stage."

On Sunday, Annu Keshy, who is one of the resident of Bass Buildings told BBC News NI when she goes outside she does not speak her own language.

"I only speak in English. I'm not myself. I'm more aware," she said.

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