The PSNI are treating the marking of graffiti on the wall of a church in Co Tyrone on Wednesday as a hate crime.
Graffiti which appears to show a swastika and the words ‘baby killers’ was daubed onto the perimeter wall of the St Paul’s Church of Ireland, in Killeshil, with police first receiving the report on Wednesday night.
DUP councillor for the Clogher Valley area Frances Burton said it was ‘soul-destroying’ for those who go to the church to see the graffiti.
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“It really is soul-destroying for the people involved with that church and it’s something that is so uncalled for,” Cllr Burton said.
“When you think of how much people want to do well in life and their church is something that is very important to all of us.
“I just feel for anybody that is going through that at the minute to be honest.
"The distress and upset it has caused to people in that area who live quietly and go to their place of worship is just ridiculous."
"I sit on the Policing and Community Safety Partnership board so I will definitely be following this up with the police in order to have more feet on the ground."
The PSNI confirmed they were investigating an incident of criminal damage which was reported at a church in the Killeeshil Road area, which they are treating as a ‘hate incident’.
The PSNI confirmed they were investigating an incident of criminal damage which was reported at a church in the Killeeshil Road area, which they are treating as a ‘hate incident’.
Inspector McNeill said: “We received a report at around 10.50pm yesterday, Wednesday 11th May, that graffiti had been sprayed on the perimeter wall of the property.
“Further graffiti was also discovered to have been scraped onto the same wall.
“Our enquiries into the incident, which is being treated as a hate incident, are ongoing, and we are appealing to anyone who has any information which could assist, or who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area, to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 2080 of 11/05/22.”
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