Chai Brady
Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a sectarian hate crime on a Catholic Church in Derry which has been decried as “disgusting” and “disgraceful”.
A door of St Mary’s Church in Limavady as well as a standing crucifix on the church grounds were defaced with graffiti which included the names of loyalist paramilitary organisations such as the UDA, UFF and UVF and the acronym KAT (Kill All Taigs) over the weekend.
The PSNI confirmed they were treating the attack as a hate crime. Local Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald condemned the sectarian vandalism saying those responsible should be “brought to book”.
“Parishioners and locals were disgusted by this disgraceful and offensive graffiti, which is nothing more than blatant sectarian vandalism. I am pleased that the offensive graffiti was removed swiftly by a local company, this is much more reflective of the Limavady community,” she said and asked anyone with any information to come forward.
SDLP MLA Cara Hunter described the attack as “disgusting”. Speaking to this paper she said: “This act of smearing words of hatred, violence and discrimination on a place of worship is unacceptable. Not only has this been a scary incident for the local congregation, to desecrate a chapel, the very place people find safety and comfort during these difficult times is entirely disrespectful.
“I strongly condemn these acts and have called upon all leaders to calm these tensions and be mindful of the damage that rash statements can have.”
A similar attack occurred on the church in 2018. A PSNI spokesperson said their enquiries into the incident were continuing.
“I would appeal to anyone with any information about this incident to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 31/01/21,” the spokesperson said.
“A report can be made using the online reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”