Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LIVING IN FEAR AFTER RACE HATE ATTACK
Sick thugs order Muslims out as pig’s head left at prayer centre
A MUSLIM community has been terrorised by race hate thugs who left a pig’s head at an Islamic centre.
Vile graffiti branding them rapists and ordering them out of the area has also been daubed in Newtownards, Co Down.
One man said: “People have moved into the area from out of town and brought their hatred with them.”
A PIG’S head left outside a Muslim community and prayer centre is being treated as a hate crime.
The horrific act was compounded after three sick slogans were graffitied around Newtownards, Co Down.
Racist thugs used a black spray can to paint the words “Muslim rapists out” and “Islam rapists Out”.
The lettering in each case was almost a foot high and in two of the areas, on walls on main roads leading into and out of the market town.
One local man, who has lived in Ards for 49 years, told the Daily Mirror: “This sort of thing wouldn’t have happened a few years ago. But people have moved into the area from out of town and brought their hatred with them.”
The head of the pig was placed outside the Bangladesh Islamic Community Centre on Greenwell Street at around 11.15pm on Wednesday.
Graffiti was also daubed on the wall of the same building, a converted Victorian house that is used for community meetings and prayer. Police are investigating the pig’s head incident and two cases of race hate graffiti on Greenwell Street and The junction of Castle Street.
More graffiti was daubed on a wall at Kennel Lane and found early yesterday by a local businessman and his wife. The shop owner painted out the sick claims. He said: “If they spray it again, I’ll paint it out again and again and again.”
Another local man said Muslims had integrated into Newtownards many years ago and third generations of families live locally.
He explained: “The people they have frightened and hurt with their graffiti and that pig’s head are one of us and they have been bullied in a horrible way.”
DUP councillor Stephen Mcilvene added: “I utterly condemn the actions of the people who did this and would urge anyone with information to come forward to the police.”