Orange Hall at Ballyronan burnt by nationalists

Ballyronan Orange Hall is the fourth hall in the Magherafelt area to be targeted since the beginning of July. The police said the door was forced open and a fire started which damaged a large area of the hall on Monday.

Only the fire was spotted by locals the damage would have been much worse, quick thinking locals called out the emergency services who were able to bring the fire under control. The hall which has been attacked before, joins Killgullib, Ballybriest and Donaghmore Orange Halls which have all been burnt in this area this year.

Local politicians and Orange leaders say they are fed up condemning what is now a regular occurrence and want MP Martin McGuinness to use his influence to halt these attacks. District Master at Ballyronan, Mr Galloway, said he was dismayed and angered the hall had been hit again.

Mid-Ulster MLA William McCrea said about this latest attack "I have no doubt this is the part of a concerted attack on the Protestant community, engineered by the Provisional IRA, and an attempt to make them afraid. In recent years Protestants have endured intimidation in Bellaghy, Maghera and Pomeroy in the Mid-Ulster area,"

Mr McCrea said "This is the constituency of martin McGuinness and Protestants are obviously not welcome in his area. He has the ability to call off the Provo dogs, and stop these blatantly sectarian attacks".

Another local MLA local Unionist Billy Armstrong also condemned the Ballyronan attack. He said " This is a deliberate attack carried out by nationalist thugs who have the potential to create much more trouble in the future."

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Orange hall destroyed in the Coastal town of Carnlough

Orangehall burnt in County Fermanagh

Orange Halls burnt in attacks by republicans