‘Oil my AK-47’ graffiti attack on DUP man
A graffiti attack on the home of the DUP mayor of Coleraine is being treated as a hate crime.
George Duddy said the words ‘curry my yoghurt’ and ‘oil my AK-47’ were painted on a garden wall at his house on the Drumaquill Road on Sunday evening.
It referenced a comment made by the DUP’s Gregory Campbell in the Assembly last month.
Mr Duddy told UTV it’s the fourth time his home has been targeted in the past year and a half and he is “extremely angry” that the attacks are taking place.
He continued: “I have no doubt it’s the same people. The attacks are all of a very similar nature.
“They are now targeting my home on a regular basis which is annoying, that you have to continually come out and repaint the front wall of your house.
“To try and associate it with the remark Gregory made – these people use any type of excuse they can to put graffiti on my wall. ‘Oil my AK-47’ is in reference to a firearm which was synonymous with the Provisional IRA – that is a more worrying piece of graffiti which they have painted.
“This is an upward movement and I take this very seriously now that they are referencing firearms on the front wall of my house.”
Last month East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said “curry my yoghurt can coca coal yer” while putting a question to Sinn Féin Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín in the Assembly.
His words sound similar to the phrase “go raibh maith agat, Ceann Comhairle”, which is used by some Sinn Féin members and means “thank you, Speaker”.
The culture minister said the comments were disrespectful to the Irish language and Mr Campbell was banned from speaking for a day.
However he has refused to apologise for the comments and has said he will not be deterred from speaking out after being informed by the PSNI of a “serious threat to his life”.
Police in Co Londonderry confirmed the graffiti is being treated as a hate crime.
A spokesperson said: “Police are appealing for information after an incident of criminal damage in the Drumaquill Road area of Coleraine last night, Sunday 30 November.
“Shortly before 9.20pm it was reported that graffiti had been painted on a garden wall in the area.”
Anyone who saw what happened or who has any further information has been asked to pass it on to the PSNI via the non-emergency number 101.
