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| Only Chinese-born parliamentarian in UK to quit politics over racist abuse | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The UK's only Chinese-born parliamentarian will not seek re-election to the Northern Ireland assembly due to continual racist abuse directed at her by loyalists, she confirmed on Thursday. | The UK's only Chinese-born parliamentarian will not seek re-election to the Northern Ireland assembly due to continual racist abuse directed at her by loyalists, she confirmed on Thursday. |
| Anna Lo told the Guardian she had had enough and would not run again for the centrist Alliance party in the next Stormont assembly elections. | Anna Lo told the Guardian she had had enough and would not run again for the centrist Alliance party in the next Stormont assembly elections. |
| The Hong-Kong-born immigrant, who has lived in Northern Ireland for four decades, said she was also considering leaving the province for good because of enduring sectarianism and now rising racism. | |
| Lo, who represents South Belfast in the regional parliament, blamed continual racist behaviour towards her, as well as first minister Peter Robinson's support for a born-again Christian preacher's depiction of Islam as "the spawn of the devil", as her reasons for wanting out of Ulster politics. | Lo, who represents South Belfast in the regional parliament, blamed continual racist behaviour towards her, as well as first minister Peter Robinson's support for a born-again Christian preacher's depiction of Islam as "the spawn of the devil", as her reasons for wanting out of Ulster politics. |
| In an interview with the Guardian on Thursday, Lo said she was shaken up by a recent incident during the European election campaign when a loyalist mob followed her out of an east Belfast shopping centre. | In an interview with the Guardian on Thursday, Lo said she was shaken up by a recent incident during the European election campaign when a loyalist mob followed her out of an east Belfast shopping centre. |
| "They started hurling abuse at me and I decided to get out of Connswater shopping centre as quickly as possible. About three or four individuals then followed me to the car park but I kept ahead of them walking as quickly as I could. Even when I got inside my car there was a young girl who climbed out of the wound-down window of a parked car and started shouting vile things at me. If I hadn't decided to act quickly and get out of there I don't know what would have happened to me," Lo said. | "They started hurling abuse at me and I decided to get out of Connswater shopping centre as quickly as possible. About three or four individuals then followed me to the car park but I kept ahead of them walking as quickly as I could. Even when I got inside my car there was a young girl who climbed out of the wound-down window of a parked car and started shouting vile things at me. If I hadn't decided to act quickly and get out of there I don't know what would have happened to me," Lo said. |
| She revealed that her two sons had been trying to persuade her to get out of Northern Ireland and join them in England because of their concerns for her personal safety. | She revealed that her two sons had been trying to persuade her to get out of Northern Ireland and join them in England because of their concerns for her personal safety. |
| "What can I do? I know they are worried about me but I have just bought a house and I have so many friends here. But I am seriously considering it." | "What can I do? I know they are worried about me but I have just bought a house and I have so many friends here. But I am seriously considering it." |
| Lo – who stood for the Alliance party in the European elections last week, gaining 44,432 first preference votes, but was eliminated at the fifth stage – was also scathing about Robinson's support for Pastor James McConnell, who denounced the Muslim religion as evil during one of his sermons a fortnight ago. | |
| "To support a lunatic who makes remarks like that is adding fuel to the flames in Northern Ireland," she said, adding: "In the last few weeks there have been two to three racist incidents per day in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland. And it isn't just Peter Robinson who is supporting this man. Sammy Wilson [the former Democratic Unionist Stormont minister] and Edwin Poots [the DUP's health minister in the power-sharing executive] are supporting this preacher." | |
| Lo said the political establishment had done nothing to combat sectarianism or racism, and this had left her deeply disillusioned about politics. | Lo said the political establishment had done nothing to combat sectarianism or racism, and this had left her deeply disillusioned about politics. |
| "I've had enough of the inability of this society and its political leaders to escape from the past. And what's worse is the rising racism in our community. I have been living here for 40 years, and this has forced me out of politics and made me think about getting out of Northern Ireland altogether. So, what must immigrants who have come here only recently think about this place?" | "I've had enough of the inability of this society and its political leaders to escape from the past. And what's worse is the rising racism in our community. I have been living here for 40 years, and this has forced me out of politics and made me think about getting out of Northern Ireland altogether. So, what must immigrants who have come here only recently think about this place?" |
| Lo said she had been shocked by the level of vitriol directed at her and the recent spike in racial attacks and abuse against the new immigrant population in the region. | Lo said she had been shocked by the level of vitriol directed at her and the recent spike in racial attacks and abuse against the new immigrant population in the region. |
| The first minister sought on Thursday to defuse a toxic political row that further polluted relations between himself and his power-sharing partners, in particular the deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness. | |
| Robinson said he "did not mean to insult Islam" when he defended McConnell's comments and stated that he himself would not trust any Muslim who adhered to sharia law. | |
| The Democratic Unionist leader claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted. He added: "For the avoidance of any doubt, I make it clear that I welcome the contribution made by all communities in Northern Ireland, and in the particular circumstances, the Muslim community. | The Democratic Unionist leader claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted. He added: "For the avoidance of any doubt, I make it clear that I welcome the contribution made by all communities in Northern Ireland, and in the particular circumstances, the Muslim community. |
| "I very much value their contribution at every level to our society and I will take the opportunity to meet with local Muslim leaders to demonstrate my ongoing support for them as integral, law-abiding citizens in Northern Ireland." |