By Sarah Curran
OFFENSIVE graffiti has appeared in Holywood only days after a family was forced to flee their home due to a ‘racially motivated’ attack.
A series of racist and sectarian slurs were discovered yesterday morning (Wednesday), sprayed along the pedestrian underpass in Holywood.
The graffiti includes the image of a swastika, as well as slurs such as ‘f*** migrants’, ‘up the Ra’ and ‘Heil Hitler’. It has been sprayed over community murals, causing damage.
The PSNI says it is treating the damage as a ‘hate motivated crime’.
Only last month, similar racist graffiti was sprayed along the town’s seafront and on Sunday night, a Syrian family was forced to leave their family home, when stones were thrown through their front window, causing injury to two children.
The recent rise in acts of racism in Holywood has stirred condemnation from local representatives.
Holywood and Clandeboye councillor Lauren Kendall said those responsible needed to be held accountable, while also noting that investment and leadership in integration and good relations were ‘lacking’.
“Holywood community is again at the mercy of vile, racist graffiti, ruining our beautiful shared spaces,” she said.
“While those responsible must be held accountable, we cannot ignore the wider context. Years of cuts to youth services by the Northern Ireland Executive have reduced opportunities for engagement, outreach and positive youth development in many communities.
“At the same time, ministers have failed to deliver a meaningful integration strategy capable of tackling prejudice, building understanding and creating genuinely shared spaces.
“Communities are repeatedly told that integration and good relations are a priority, yet the investment and leadership required to make that a reality have been lacking.”
The Green Party councillor added: “The overwhelming majority of people reject racism and want to see communities united, not divided. I stand with local residents in calling for the graffiti to be removed and the mural, and our lovely welcoming community restored.”
Condemning the ‘deplorable’ graffiti, Alliance councillor Gillian McCollum said they had requested the removal of the slogans of ‘hatred and division’.
“The sectarian and racist graffiti that has defaced the subway at Strand Avenue is deplorable and Alliance has been in contact with the relevant agencies to request its immediate removal to see the existing artwork restored,” the Holywood and Clandeboye councillor said.
“These slogans of hatred and division are to the detriment of everyone in our community and I would urge anyone with any information on who is responsible to contact the police.
“The majority in Holywood believe in a shared and open community and have no time for these disgusting views whether they are sectarian, racist or otherwise.”
A police spokesman said they were aware of the graffiti which had been sprayed, adding that ‘this type of behaviour’ had ‘no place in our society’.
He said: “Graffiti of a racist and sectarian nature was recently sprayed in a pedestrian underpass in the town.
“Enquiries are ongoing to determine when this damage – which is being treated as hate motivated crime – was caused.”
Last week a Syrian man and his family were forced to flee their Holywood home after a ‘racially motivated’ attack resulted in injuries to two of his children.
Torki Al Omare had been at the family’s Church Green home on Sunday night with his wife and three children when a group of masked youths attacked their home with stones, breaking their front window.
The attack resulted in the injury of two of his children who suffered ‘grazes to their faces and shoulder’.
Minutes later, windows were also smashed and paint thrown over Mr Al Omore’s parents’ home on nearby Church Road.
Two windows were smashed in a vehicle parked outside the second property and a sum of money was stolen.
The family have since left their family home and will not return to the local area, with plans to relocate to West Belfast.
Speaking about the ‘appalling’ attack Chief Inspector Hutchinson said: “We are treating both of these reports as racially-motivated hate crimes, with our enquiries continuing into what happened, and who was involved.
“This type of crime is utterly unacceptable and has no place in our society. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home, regardless of their race or background.”
