Sectarian graffiti on Apprentice Boys' hall condemned

A councillor has condemned sectarian graffiti that appeared on the Apprentice Boys of Derry Memorial Hall on St Patrick's Day.

UUP councillor Darren Guy said the graffiti appeared on the same day that members of the organisation attended a Christian church service as part of the bank holiday on Tuesday.

Guy said those behind the graffiti "did not show any sign of Christianity to their Protestant neighbours" and added that there was no place for such graffiti in this city or anywhere else.

Police said they are treating the criminal damage caused to the door of the Memorial Hall in the Society Street area of the city on 17 March as a "sectarian-motivated hate crime".

"This is part of an upsurge in attacks on the Protestant community within our city," Guy said.

A historic monument on Londonderry's city walls, Walker's Plinth, was targeted in a "sectarian" paint attack in April, and police are also treating an attack on a number of homes in the Waterside area of the city as "sectarian-motivated".

Guy said more must be done to "educate and eradicate such hatred".

In a statement, the Apprentice Boys of Derry said they were aware of the graffiti and that the matter was now with the PSNI.

They said such incidents were "always disappointing", but stressed this had "absolutely zero impact on St Patrick's Day events in the Memorial Hall, enjoyed by all attending".