21/06/2016

Church, Nursing Home And Houses Targeted In Sectarian Attack

Sectarian graffiti and paramilitary slogans have been daubed on the walls of a church, nursing home and houses in west Belfast.

St Columba's Church and the Cairnmartin facility in the Ballygomartin Road area were sprayed with slogans in the early hours of Monday morning, 20 June.

Police are treating the attack as a sectarian hate crime.

Inspector Kelly Moore said: "Officers from both the Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Local Policing Team have been in the area this morning to help with the investigation and to offer reassurance to local people. We have also spoken with local representatives."

Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey condemned those responsible for the attack.

He said: "Those responsible have left local parishioners and residents with a clean-up job and have achieved nothing but upset to the Woodvale community.

"They are not representative of the republican and nationalist community.

"All these acts of mindless and sectarian vandalism need to stop immediately."

(CD/JP)

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