Lo vows to stand firm in face of racist death threat

AN ALLIANCE Assembly member, the only representative at Stormont from an ethnic minority, has said she will not be intimidated…

AN ALLIANCE Assembly member, the only representative at Stormont from an ethnic minority, has said she will not be intimidated following a threat on her life.

Anna Lo, who represents South Belfast, has been advised by the PSNI that she or her home could be attacked.

She is originally from Hong Kong but has lived in Northern Ireland for some 35 years. She said she has stepped up her security measures following her intervention in the intimidation of more than 100 members of the Roma constituency in her constituency last month.

Ms Lo has already received hate mail, but this week has been officially informed by police of increased threats from racists to her safety after new information was received at the weekend.

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“I’m not going to be deterred by these people,” she said. “If they think that they can stop me from speaking out against them or speaking for the vulnerable people, new ethnic minority communities or migrant workers they are mistaken”.

She told the BBC that some ethnic minority groups had also received threatening letters and should review their protective measures.

The revelation of threats against Ms Lo coincided with the launch of a racism awareness campaign by the PSNI.

Asst chief constable Duncan McCausland called for the public to provide as much information as possible to police about hate crimes. “While police have a key part to play in dealing with hate crime incidents, the police alone cannot solve what is a wider societal issue. We all have a responsibility to unite against hate crime.”