Sectarian graffiti attack on NI Catholic church condemned

The PSNI is investigating the incident. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

A graffiti attack on a Catholic church in Derry has been condemned.

Sectarian daubings were discovered on St Mary’s church in Limavady.

NI First Minister Arlene Foster described it as a “reprehensible attack on a place of worship”.

“No cause is served by such actions and I hope those responsible can be identified and brought to justice,” Mrs Foster tweeted.

East Derry MP Gregory Campbell said there was a similar incident at the church two years ago, describing both attacks as unacceptable.

“Daubing sectarian graffiti on any church property is not just insulting but contributes to creating problems in local communities,” he said.

“While there is no apparent localised reason or recent precedent for this incident, I fear it may be linked to wider political tensions that police had alluded to last week.

Sectarian graffiti has been daubed on a catholic church in Limavady (DUP/PA)

“Whether that is the case or not all public representatives have a duty to condemn any such behaviour, irrespective of where it occurs and against whom.

“The Government also has a duty to take appropriate steps to help de-escalate rising tensions whether connected to this or not.”

The PSNI is investigating the incident as a hate crime, and has urged anyone with information to contact officers on 101, quoting the reference number 31/10/21.