Adrian Rutherford
Today at 11:25
A teenager has been arrested after slurry was spread on the streets of Ballymena – hours before the town’s first Pride parade.
Police are treating the incident, which happened overnight, as a hate crime.
The 19-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and possession of a bladed or pointed item. He remains in custody.
The Pride parade is scheduled to take place this afternoon.
Organisers have said the event is an effort to celebrate "diversity, inclusion and cross-community unity.”
The slurry incident has been widely condemned today.
Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland said “There is no place for this kind of disgusting and deliberate attempt to intimidate, disrupt or shame those taking part in a peaceful and joyful celebration of love, identity and community.
“I have spoken directly with the parade organisers and the PSNI, and our team has engaged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to ensure cleansing takes place urgently and the route is made safe and welcoming for all.
“Ballymena Pride is a historic and hopeful moment for our town. No amount of hate will drown out the message of inclusion, solidarity, and pride that today represents.”
Justice Minister Naomi Long said on X: “I despair the mentality of those who spread slurry on the streets of their town motivated by hate and bigotry. Disgusting in every sense of the word.
“Solidarity to all at Ballymena Pride. It's a frightening time but love will always triumph over hate.”
The PSNI said: “Police in Ballymena have arrested a man after officers on patrol in the Granville Drive area observed slurry on the road at around 2.55am this morning.
“A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and possession of a blade/point. He remains in police custody at this time.
“The matter is being treated as a hate crime and enquiries are ongoing.”
More to follow.
by pickneyboy3000
32 comments
>treating the incident, which happened overnight, as a hate crime
>male was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage **and possession of a bladed or pointed item**
Inclusion of a weapon sounds more like terrorism than a hate crime
Imagine how hateful this idiots parents are if he does something like this
He’ll be very slurry sat in the dock.
Oh never mind about the multiple breaches in environmental law…
Sure he’ll easily get done on those, let alone the obvious homophones motivation. Hope the prosecution lay all the breaches on.
Make him clean it up by hand the little fuck
[removed]
What have these people got about destroying the area and the amenities that people in their community use. Self destruction at its finest.
The crowd who constantly complain about immigration and them not intergrating whilst the same could apply to them being here over 400 years and still thinking they’re something else, transnationals? Bigots
Why is it not being treated as a terrorist chemical attack?
Hold his face in it till he’s happy to wear rainbow wellies for the rest of his life. Prison or community service handing out rainbow flegs and rainbow candies whilst sprinkling rainbow dust throughout the streets of Bigotmena for the next 20 years!
19?! I was expecting someone much older. Again I ask – what the fuck is going on with this generation? Is it really paramilitary shit?
Dumb cunt hahahahhahs
19 is an adult. The headline labelling him a “teenager” is a bit disingenuous, designed as rage/click bait.
Just when you think Ballymena couldn’t get anymore hillbilly
What’s wrong with allowing people to enjoy a bit of merriment, decompress and come together after the horrible events that have rocked that town recently?
Horrible. .
Committing eco-terrorism to own the gays
Give him a toothbrush and make him clean the street iwith it.
Go home Ballymena, you’re drunk.
He’s 19, why not release the name?
[removed]
How would people feel slurrying bonfires and before orange marches?
If you do this kind of shit, it’s going to come back and get you.
If you pick on a minorities they will fight back.
19 year old Closet gay perhaps in denial!
What the TF is wrong with this place
Poor fella is just stuck in the closet
In fairness Ballymena probably will still smell better today than the stench from that town on the 11th and 12th July.
Never forget ballymena used to chain up kids play parks back during the paisley days on the sabbath total backwards shithole
Tbf Ballymena now looks AND smells like shite
Doubt he is the owner, so who out him up to it? The appropriate punishment would be to make him clean it up.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
What a shitty place
“Teenager”? He is an adult who caused a biohazard in a town centre motivated by hate and bigotry. You can already see that they’re going to go soft on him. If this was done before an orange march, there would be no such mollycoddling.
Every article I’ve seen on Facebook is full of knuckledragger comments cheering them on for it.
Comments are closed.