Finlay urges police '˜to bring the culprits to justice' after graffiti attack

Alderman Finlay said: “Rasharkin Orange Hall has often been a target for republican thugs over the years, and I am disgusted by this latest graffiti attack which seems to be part of a broader targeting of orange halls in the run up to the centenary of the failed Easter rising in Dublin in 1916.

“We hear much propaganda about the non-sectarian and inclusivist ideals of those behind the 1916 rising, but this attack is simply a further example of anti-Protestant hatred which will increase community tensions in the village.

“I am confident that the good people of Rasharkin, from both communities, are totally opposed to this sort of sectarian vandalism, and I urge the police to take swift action to apprehend the culprits. I also encourage anyone with any information to get in touch with the police right away.

“I also take heart from the fact that, one hundred years on from 1916, Rasharkin remains an integral part of the United Kingdom. Thugs might be able to damage our halls, but they will never take away our heritage. Northern Ireland is moving forward, while those who skulk under cover of darkness to spray their messages of hate are being left behind”.