Today Northern Ireland hangs its head in shame because of the actions of a few racist thugs.

They forced more than 100 Romanians to flee from their homes in south Belfast, but the impact of their evil deed quickly spread around the world, blackening the name of this province yet again.

What they did was wrong. It was criminal. It was motivated by hate and it does not show the true face of Northern Ireland.

The people of this province are not racists, but there are racists among them. What needs to |be done now is to isolate|those racists.

If anyone knows who was responsible for the cowardly threats directed against the innocent |Romanian families they should tell the police immediately.

There must be no hiding place for the thugs and bully boys who have disgraced this province in the eyes of the world.

Today we appeal to the ordinary decent people of Northern Ireland to stand up for the foreign |nationals who have come here to find a better life.

These are people who have something to contribute to our |society. They want to work to earn money to build a new life back in their homelands.

We should tell them they are welcome. Tell them that they are valued. Tell them we will stand |by them in their hour of need. Tell them that the racist bully boys are not the real face of Northern Ireland.

This province has recently emerged from 30 years of vicious communal conflict where armed terrorists held both sides of the community to ransom.

Yet for all their threats, their guns and their bombs the terrorists could not break the will of the people. The law prevailed.

Having seen off the terrorists, this community cannot, and will not, allow a few mindless, racist thugs to drag its reputation back into the gutter.