Attack on Fawney Orange Hall causes £10k damage

Attackers broke into the building ad daubed the interior with sectarian graffiti, stole two banners and a painting of King William.

Deputy Grandmaster of the City of Londonderry Grand Orange Lodge, Alderman Maurice Devenney, who visited the hall on Friday night, condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators “mindless thugs” and adding: “This is the third time this hall has been damaged. In 1975 it burned to ground by Republicans and in 1986 an incendiary burned it to ground. That attack was laid at the feet of SF/IRA. I am shocked to see so much damage done. Two banners, valued in the thousands of pounds, have been stolen and a portrait of King William.

“To repair the hall will run into in an excess of £10,000 to have the hall repaired and I appeal to anyone with information on the attack to give it to PSNI. I have asked senior PSNI officers for an increased presence in the coming weeks in rural areas because of the number of rural halls and quiet nature of them.”

DUP assembly member Willie Hay, said: “I condemn the vandalism. Every right thinking person is aware that it was purely sectarian. The fact that the hall is in a remote, quiet area means that it was very easy to carry this out. I am appealing to anyone with information to contact the police. And I appeal to those who carried the attack to return the banners as they are of great historical and sentimental value to people there.

“It is obvious that those who did this have no intention of being part of a shared future which is even more annoying in a year where Londonderry had great success during the parading season. The hall was accessed through the ceiling which illustrates this was a highly purposeful attack.”