POLICE have launched an investigation following an attack on an Islamic centre in Co. Down.
Targets were sprayed on the walls and door of the Newtownards Islamic Centre on Greenwell Street in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A petrol bomb was also thrown at the building but failed to ignite.
Police are treating the incident as a racially-motivated hate crime, with a spokesperson adding that ‘this type of activity will not be tolerated and any reports of hate crime are taken very seriously’.
‘No place for hate’
Kellie Armstrong, Alliance MLA for Strangford, condemned those behind an attack.
“There is no place in our community for the hate, xenophobia, racism or islamophobia we have seen on the streets over recent weeks and days and our Muslim community here in Newtownards should be free to worship without fear or intimidation,” she said.
“I wholeheartedly condemn all instances of violence and attempts at intimidation.
“Let it be clear that these cowardly individuals represent nobody other than themselves and their actions stand to achieve nothing other than to intimidate and instil fear into our Muslim community.”
Local DUP councillor Stephen McIlveen also condemned the attack, saying he had reached out to the centre’s members.
“Shocked and disappointed at the attack on the Islamic centre in Newtownards,” he posted on social media.
“The centre has been in Newtownards for many years and is as much a part of this community as buildings of other faiths.
“I have spoken to senior members of the centre today to offer my support and condemnation of this attack.”
‘Detrimental’
The centre has been targeted previously, with a pig’s head left outside the building in 2017.
A year later, photos circulated online of a group of people dressed as KKK members gathered outside the centre.
In a statement, the Muslim Council of Northern Ireland expressed their disappointment at the ‘mindless Islamophobic and hate attack’.
“We know that those perpetrators represent only a small minority of individuals with a far-right agenda which is detrimental to the prosperity of Northern Ireland,” added the statement.
“We extend our warm gratitude for the overwhelming support received from all quarters including churches, MLAs and neighbours.
“We are also indebted to the thousands of people that came out on the streets across Northern Ireland denouncing such attacks with a resounding NO to Islamophobia.
“We value our relationships with all communities and continue to work with relevant authorities on the betterment of society and to restore the friendly face of the Northern Irish society which it is well known for.”
Anyone with information or footage that could assist the investigation is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference 53 of August 10.