Following the revelation that places of worship across Northern Ireland have been subject to 445 criminal attacks over the last three years, Ulster Unionist MLA Robbie Butler has called for Government support protecting churches in England and Wales to be extended to Northern Ireland.
Robbie Butler said:
“Places of worship, no matter what faith or denomination, should be a cherished place of peace and sanctuary. They provide hope, emotional support and healing to communities so it is totally demoralising that so many have been attacked in recent years.
“Attacking a church is an attack against its entire congregation. Whilst some attacks are acts of mindless vandalism, unfortunately in Northern Ireland the scourge of sectarianism remains and this has been the motivation behind many attacks on local churches across the country.
“Under the UK Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan, funding is available to fund additional security measures for places of worship, but only in England and Wales. It is now time that this protection was extended to premises and faiths in Northern Ireland.
“Whilst all crimes motivated by hate are particularly despicable, and perpetrators of them must be pursued and detained, as a society we should also be ensuring that churches have the means and the support they require to protect themselves from attack.”