Police treating attack on Orange hall as sectarian hate crime

Police have said they are treating an attack on an Orange Hall in Co Armagh as a sectarian hate crime.

A window was smashed at the hall in Keady on July 12.

A local TUV representative also claimed that eggs were thrown at the building while Orange Order members were inside celebrating the Twelfth.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “We received a report that between approximately 6.10pm and 8pm on Wednesday, July 12, a window was smashed and branches were scattered at the front of an Orange Hall.

“We are treating this as a sectarian hate crime.

“Our investigation is under way and we are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area or who may have captured CCTV or other footage to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1925 12/07/23.”

TUV Councillor Keith Ratcliffe said he was “dismayed and disappointed” at the attack, which he described as “sinister”.

He said: “It is disappointing that after enjoying a dignified parade in Lurgan, the brethren of LOL 298 have had such a dampener put on their day.

“While some may shrug off such an attack, claiming it was just a bunch of young people messing around, the pattern of such activity in the wider Keady district would suggest a much more sinister motive.

“One questions where is the respect and tolerance that nationalists have so often called for? Where is the shared space in Keady and other parts of South Armagh?”