Orange hall attacked again
THE Orange hall at the centre of the main Belfast Twelfth of July parade has been attacked with paint overnight.
The Order said it was the third time this week that the building at Carlisle circus has been targeted.
It’s thought bottles containing paint were thrown at the hall sometime last night.
Security fencing at the hall was only taken down earlier this year.
The hall is the assembly point for the start of this year’s Belfast Parade on Monday.
North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds condemned those responsible.
He said: “This is the third time in a week that sectarian thugs have attacked the Orange Hall at Clifton Street.
“It is clear that there are some narrow-minded bigots who are determined to prevent their Protestant neighbours from exercising their right to celebrate their culture, history and religion.
“Such bigots are beneath contempt.
“The police have a responsibility to ensure that the criminals responsible for this activity are brought before the courts and prosecuted.
“I would urge an increased police presence in the area to deter attacks of this nature.
“Furthermore, I would appeal to nationalist politicians and community leaders to show leadership by urging the full co-operation of their community in providing the police with the information they need to apprehend those responsible for these attacks.
The Orange Hall has undergone a lot of work recently to repair the building and clean away evidence of previous sectarian attacks.
“The intolerant thugs responsible for this act will never win and the loyal orders who use the hall will continue to have my full support.
“I appeal to anyone with any information on this attack to come forward and assist the police”, said the DUP MP.
North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness also condemned the attack.
The SDLP justice spokesman said: “I utterly condemn this dreadful attack.
“We are attempting to normalise society and part of that normalisation is respect for institutions from both sides of the community.
“The renovations that have taken place at the Orange hall on Clifton Street are part of this process.
“It is so disappointing that there are some people in our community that object to this normalisation and our attempts to create a better, shared future for everyone across the North.”
