Police in south Belfast say that dealing with racist hate crime is a 'significant priority'.
BBC News NIThe comments come after a spate of such crimes in the south of the city that saw ethnic minority-owned businesses attacked.
"South Belfast is one of the most diverse places in Northern Ireland and that's something that is its key strength. It does create a vulnerability then of increased occurrences.""From a policing perspective, I'd be really cautious about characterising an entire community as racist because certainly in terms of the response we've had from the local community - they're as appalled by these incidents as any of us are who are here today.
"At the moment, the information that we have does not suggest there is paramilitary drive or sanction for these attacks."So why has south Belfast experienced a spike in racist incidents in the past few months? He said: "There is a real interest in the community on how to engage in this issue of hate crime. People want to know and I think that's an important thing - it's an opportunity to communicate.
"Imagine this was your brother, your sister, a member of your family. I would also appeal to politicians - there is an opportunity to make a difference in terms of how people deal and perceive this reality of diversity. Encourage it, and don't speak negatively about it."Rev Dr Thompson said he believed the introduction of hate crime legislation was vital in tackling the issue."I hope that Stormont really get their act together," he said.
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