This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26253338
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Racial abuse of Alliance Party MLA Anna Lo 'despicable' | Racial abuse of Alliance Party MLA Anna Lo 'despicable' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The Alliance Party's deputy leader has called racist comments against party colleague Anna Lo vile and despicable. | The Alliance Party's deputy leader has called racist comments against party colleague Anna Lo vile and despicable. |
| The assembly member was abused on social media after calling for murals and flags to be removed from the Giro D'Italia route. | The assembly member was abused on social media after calling for murals and flags to be removed from the Giro D'Italia route. |
| Three stages of the cycle race take place in Northern Ireland from Friday 9 May to Sunday 11 May. | Three stages of the cycle race take place in Northern Ireland from Friday 9 May to Sunday 11 May. |
| East Belfast MP Naomi Long said Ms Lo had been making an important point about an ongoing problem. | East Belfast MP Naomi Long said Ms Lo had been making an important point about an ongoing problem. |
| She said her colleague had identified the chance "to look at things like paramilitary murals and flags in the run-up to the Giro d'Italia, not as a superficial attempt to deal with it, but in a way to take the opportunity to deal with issues we know are already there. | She said her colleague had identified the chance "to look at things like paramilitary murals and flags in the run-up to the Giro d'Italia, not as a superficial attempt to deal with it, but in a way to take the opportunity to deal with issues we know are already there. |
| 'Dehumanising' | |
| "That somebody who's elected to make those kind of calls takes racial abuse for their position is vile and despicable," she added. | "That somebody who's elected to make those kind of calls takes racial abuse for their position is vile and despicable," she added. |
| "It doesn't represent the majority of people in Northern Ireland and I have to say I've been overwhelmed even overnight at how many people have contacted me to offer support and encouragement to Anna." | "It doesn't represent the majority of people in Northern Ireland and I have to say I've been overwhelmed even overnight at how many people have contacted me to offer support and encouragement to Anna." |
| First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness condemned the racist comments as "dehumanising". | |
| In a joint statement they said: "We utterly condemn those who have directed racial abuse at Anna Lo, an elected representative who works tirelessly for all sections of her local community. | |
| "Racial abuse is unacceptable on any level and these disgraceful and dehumanising comments are at complete odds with our vision of a shared and better future. | |
| "We hope that the PSNI can find and prosecute those responsible for these despicable comments." | |
| The DUP's Sammy Wilson said he disagreed with Ms Lo's call, but condemned the abuse against her. | The DUP's Sammy Wilson said he disagreed with Ms Lo's call, but condemned the abuse against her. |
| "Regardless of how daft or indeed how dangerous some of the proposals Anna Lo has made, it is not a reason to engage in racial abuse against her," Mr Wilson said. | "Regardless of how daft or indeed how dangerous some of the proposals Anna Lo has made, it is not a reason to engage in racial abuse against her," Mr Wilson said. |
| 'Daft idea' | |
| "As an individual, because I know Anna very well and like her, but also as a representative of the party, can I make it quite clear that whatever she has said does not warrant and does not deserve racial abuse being directed towards her. | "As an individual, because I know Anna very well and like her, but also as a representative of the party, can I make it quite clear that whatever she has said does not warrant and does not deserve racial abuse being directed towards her. |
| "The police should take action against it and people should know that social media isn't a kind of cloak they can hide behind." | |
| However, he said Ms Lo's proposal was "a daft idea" that would put police on the front line having to take flags down, and that the Alliance Party should have learned from "their last outing on flags" (at Belfast City Hall). | |
| SDLP MLA Alex Attwood called the abuse "vile and despicable" and said it should be "unambiguously condemned". |