'No foreigners' house to let sign sparks outrage in the North

A “No Foreigners” sign on a house to let in Belfast provoked outrage today.

The offensive and illegal sign on the three-bedroom house in the loyalist Donegall Road area of south Belfast declared “This property is not available for any foreigners.”

Chinese-born Anna Lo, South Belfast Alliance Party Assembly member, was outraged.

Ms Lo 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.”

The Donegall Road area is home to a substantial number of people from Asian communities and other migrant workers.

There have been a number of attacks on homes occupied by foreign nationals and the landlord behind the sign said a Romanian tenant fled last week after the windows were smashed and the bin set on fire outside the front door.

Ms Lo said he was still breaking the law as spelt out under the Race Relations Act.

“Landlords should play a positive role in helping migrants feel welcome in the area instead of playing into the hands of racists,” she said.

“This despicable matter is unrepresentative of a community which is making significant progress. Migrants play a massively positive role in our community. They bring cultural diversity to Northern Ireland and they contribute greatly to our economy.”

Bob Collins, chief commissioner at the Equality Commission for the North, was equally insistent that the sign was illegal – and said the commission has assisted those discriminated against to take legal action.

He said: “It is an outrageous thing to do. You cannot say no foreigners. You cannot say English speakers only – the law is absolutely clear.”

When the storm broke around him the landlord who had identified himself on the “To let” sign as Craig and gave a mobile phone number quickly changed it.

But he still said he wanted tenants for the red brick terrace “whom the neighbourhood like”.

The new notice on the window said: “I am renting this property without prejudice to anyone in the whole wide world.

“But please be aware there are a number of criteria suitable candidates must pass before being eligible to rent this property.

“I am looking for tenants, whom the neighbourhood like, who keep their noise down and will not attract attention to themselves.”

Contacted by phone Craig refused to give his surname and questioned what all the fuss was about.

Asked to justify the “no foreigners” sign, he said: “There is nothing to say that now” – but did not deny it had been on display.

Craig said: “This is absolutely crazy. I rented the property to a Romanian guy. Last week the windows were put in and the bin got burned. He was really scared and just left and is living in a hostel now.”

He said he had been told by “people” not to rent the property to the Romanian.

Insisting he was not a racist but the victim of racists, he added: “I am just looking for good people to look after the house. I don’t want the house being attacked and left in bits.”