Appeal after six halls damaged in attacks

Attacks on six halls in the Cookstown area in recent days have been described as "an attack on the reformed faith"
.
The PSNI said officers are appealing for information after attacks on a number of halls used by church and community organisations.

On Sunday officers received reports of damage to five halls in the Coagh and Stewartstown area, and they believe all the incidents are connected.

The premises damaged were-
Kingsmill Gospel Hall at Ballymaguire Road.
Kingsmill Band Hall at Lisnahall Road
Arboe Church Hall at Ballinderry Bridge Road
Tamlaght Parish Church at Ruskey Road and
Coagh Orange Hall, Main Street, Coagh

A police spokesman said the perpetrators broke windows at every premises either on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday.

UUP MLA for Mid-Ulster, Billy Armstrong, said that another property had also been attacked, bringing the total to six.
"I am totally disgusted at the actions of these thugs who want to bully and intimidate the Protestant people from these various locations," he said. "Actions such as these only serve to bring us back to the old days when people lived in fear from one attack to the next, and have obviously been carried out by someone with a hatred of Protestant and unionist culture."

DUP Mid-Ulster MLA and chairman of Cookstown District Council Ian McCrea said the attacks were nothing more than "anti-Protestant bigotry".

Damage caused ranged from windows being broken to doors being forced open, he added.
"These attacks are further evidence that regrettably there are those within our society who are determined to stir up division and strife and overturn the good community relations that exist within our district," he said.

The grand secretary of the Orange Order, Drew Nelson, described the attacks as "low-level sectarian intimidation aimed directly against the Protestant community".

He said: "The Orange Order will be making representations for increased security in the area and anyone with any information should bring it forward to the police," he said.

SDLP Mid-Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone supported the PSNI call for anyone who saw any suspicious vehicles or who may have information to come forward. 20th May 2008 News Letter

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