Sectarian abuse shouted at Belfast councillor after election posters stolen: ‘All taigs will be crucified’

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/sectarian-abuse-shouted-at-belfast-councillor-after-election-posters-stolen-all-taigs-will-be-crucified/a1936979552.html

Amy Cochrane
Today at 11:19

An SDLP councillor said he “feels pity” for youths who shouted outrageous sectarian abuse at him as he tried to retrieve his wife’s election posters after they were torn down.

Donal Lyons was notified by a constituent that a group of youths “armed with trolleys” were taking down posters of the South Belfast and Mid-Down candidate Claire Hanna in the Flush Park area of Rosetta on Wednesday evening.

As he approached the group – thought to be aged between 16 and 19 – they began shouting abuse at him, stating that all “taigs” should be “crucified” and calling him a “republican rat”.

Mr Lyons, a South Belfast councillor, stepped out of his car and initially asked the youths to “put the posters down and you are grand, otherwise this is going to the PSNI”.

Some of the posters were dropped as the gang walked away, but others shouted from a distance: “All taigs will be crucified, you f****** republican rat.”

“They were old enough to know better and know what they were doing was wrong, but I just feel pity for them, sympathy even,” Mr Lyons told the Belfast Telegraph.

“They were led to that situation; it’s just desperately sad.

“What they were shouting and what it means – I don’t think they have a true understanding of it.

“They were out with trolleys on a Wednesday night stealing election posters – surely there are so many better things to be doing.

“And you have to wonder, anyone who is screaming that someone needs crucified, how has that been instilled in them? Where have they got that wording from? Kids don’t grow up automatically thinking that.”

Mr Lyons said election time is when most abuse happens to politicians.

“Elections get the blood up, there’s no doubt about that; I’ve been a councillor for 10 years, involved in politics for 20 years, and people do get the head up during elections,” he said.

“Even when we were putting posters up during the day, people were driving by honking their horns or waving or whatever.”

He said south Belfast is a generally peaceful place and occurrences like this are rare.

“The vast majority of south Belfast is live and let live, with people going about their business,” he said.

“Some might not share the same views as their neighbours, and you don’t need everyone to be thinking or doing same things, just some respect would be good.”

The incident has been reported to the PSNI.