Anger as Orange hall attacked in ‘sectarian hate crime' hours before village hosts Twelfth parade
Police are treating the incident as a sectarian hate crime.
The village is hosting the north Antrim Twelfth parade today.
In total, 43 lodges and 30 bands and Lambeg drums drawn from five local districts will be on parade.
Local MP Jim Allister said those parading would not be deterred by the attack.
He said there should have been a greater police presence in the village.
The PSNI received a report of criminal damage caused to the hall in the Main Street area of Rasharkin shortly after 1.20am this morning.
Paint had been thrown over the front of the building and graffiti daubed on walls opposite.
District Commander for Causeway Coast and Glens, Superintendent Sinead McIldowney said: 'We are treating this criminal damage as a sectarian-motivated hate crime.
Watch: Controversial Village bonfire in Belfast goes ahead after council order for removal
'The Police Service condemns all sectarian hate crime and criminal damage caused to any property is absolutely unacceptable.
'We will thoroughly investigate this matter and would appeal to anyone with information to contact us on 101, quoting reference 177 of 12/07/25.
'Our officers will continue to proactively patrol the area and engage with the local community around any concerns they may have.'
Mr Allister, the TUV MP for North Antrim, slammed those behind the attack.
'The overnight sectarian attack on Rasharkin Orange Hall and the painting of terrorist slogans in the village, before it today hosts Twelfth celebrations, typifies the unbridled hatred of Orange and unionist culture that is designed to drive out its remaining Protestant residents,' he said.
'The local unionist community will nonetheless not be deterred by this latest manifestation of sectarian hatred.
'The precedent of such attacks and therefore the predictability of such on the Eleventh Night ought to have led to a police presence in the village which clearly was absent.
'I look forward to seeing the parade later today in Rasharkin and stand with my constituents who have for so long borne such republican hatred.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
41 minutes ago
- Times
Kemi Badenoch is right that the welfare system is a fiscal disaster
The leader of the opposition alerted the nation to an alarming statistic last week: 28 million people are working hard and paying taxes to support the livelihoods of another 28 million. Kemi Badenoch argued that Britain is becoming 'a welfare state with an economy attached', such is the vastness of uncontrolled spending on benefits. That might sound like hyperbole, but she has identified one of the most serious issues stifling growth and the country's prospects. Ms Badenoch's speech was her first notable economic intervention since she became the Conservative party leader last year, and one that was overdue. While few can question her success in campaigning for a national grooming gangs inquiry, or fighting for women's rights, she has had less success in articulating an alternative economic vision to that of the Starmer government or Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Her call for a return to a 'Protestant work ethic' articulated an important theme: the need for economic opportunity. Although the Tories bear some responsibility for the millions of Britons who are economically inactive, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the party is the only one willing to state hard truths about the mess of the UK's labour market. Ms Badenoch argued that the word 'disabled' has lost its meaning, with one in four working-age people now classified under the term. With the health and disability benefits bill set to rocket to £100 billion by the end of the decade, she is right that the current situation cannot go on. • Give struggling 16-year-olds state-paid jobs, says key adviser The accusation that the welfare system makes it too easy for people to claim benefits is hard to dispute. So too is the danger that welfare is becoming a lifestyle choice. It is clear that radical reform, not mere tinkering, is required. According to the Centre for Social Justice think tank, a recipient of the highest level of sickness benefits earns £2,500 a year more than someone on the national living wage. It is unsurprising that some will therefore opt for this over a life of work. Ms Badenoch invoked the legacy of Lord Tebbit, the Thatcher-era minister who died last week, to argue that the Tories must remain the party of work. Acknowledging mistakes of the past, she said, 'people should do all that they can to be in work, that is the ethics that I want to be very clear about now'. The Tories are right to grasp this difficult issue, as their political rivals appear unwilling to. Ms Badenoch dismissed Mr Farage as an 'unserious' figure: 'Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and cigarette'. She would be wise not to underestimate his everyman appeal, something that does not come as naturally to her. Yet she is right that Reform is increasingly and unwisely tilting leftwards when it comes to public spending in its desire to appeal to disenchanted Labour supporters. After the debacle on the cuts to disability benefits, it is unlikely that the Starmer government will act decisively, or at all, when it comes to welfare reform. Despite the drumbeat from Labour MPs calling on the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap, this is precisely the opposite of what the prime minister should be considering. Instead he should heed the advice of Alan Milburn, former Labour health secretary, who cautioned against any effort to 'run away' from reform. He is right that the costs of sickness benefits are unsustainable, both for the economy and the state of society. There is an obvious gap in the political market that Ms Badenoch can fill: the cause of fiscal restraint. The Tories should never have given up their belief in a smaller state, but it is welcome to see them return to it. It is ever more likely that the UK is heading for a financial crunch this autumn, as Rachel Reeves's mishandling of the economy risks creating a vast fiscal black hole. The unsustainable welfare bill is at the heart of the problem and voters now appreciate that it must be tackled. The time for hard truths is fast approaching.
Belfast Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
‘He hit me over and over': Olympian on abusive relationship with trainer linked to murder of showjumper Katie
The Bangor-born equestrian was in a relationship with Creswell from 2008 to 2009. A year after it ended, he was jailed for six months for multiple vicious and prolonged assaults on Ms Lyle who has revealed the extent of what she suffered ahead of Death of a Showjumper, a new three-part documentary series by Sky. It tells the story of a predatory abuser who operated in plain sight of Northern Ireland's 'horsey community' and explores police failings. Speaking to The Irish Times, Ms Lyle said she had just turned 23 when she started a relationship with the Greysteel man and was only beginning her career with horses. 'He was just so confident, charming and cocky and cheeky,' Ms Lyle recalled. 'But also very thoughtful, sweet and kind — just an alluring person.' However, the romance took a twist when Creswell assaulted Ms Lyle in February 2009 during a row before she left to go out with friends. He later sent a text apologising for his behaviour and asked if he could collect her. 'We got in the car and he swerved right, and my phone flew out of my hand... He said, 'You won't be needing that',' she said. 'Out of nowhere, he grabbed the back of my head [and] he hit my head off the window, off the dashboard. 'I was like, curled up, and he just hit me over my body, over and over and over. The shock of it. I always thought I would defend myself, but this crazy instinct took over. 'You will do or say anything to calm that person down because you are very aware you cannot win that fight. When he started to say, 'I'm really sorry, I'll never do that again. Oh my goodness. I really love you. Why did I do that?'… As soon as they say, 'Sorry', that pain is gone. Lifted. 'The relief was unbelievable, and it was like oxygen. By then I was in it. 'You think it's because of you. I shouldn't be doing these things, shouldn't be saying these things, I should be acting in a different way to stop this side of him coming out. But he got worse.' Ms Lyle's father contacted Nuala Lappin, a specialist PSNI domestic violence officer, which she described as her 'saving grace'. 'We kind of started a communication, just on the phone, for a couple of months before I left [Creswell],' she said. 'She said, 'I know you are not ready to [leave Creswell], but you can, and you will'. She was amazing, she was the only person who understood... Everyone's reaction [to her relationship with Creswell] was anger. A lot of people were so angry with me. They were like: 'Why are you going back? Why?' 'Nuala was the only person who truly understood why at that time I couldn't. Having her advice is probably why I am here today.' On August 3, 2020, Creswell drove Katie Simpson part-way to Altnagelvin Hospital before the unresponsive passenger was transferred to an ambulance. He told paramedics and two police officers that she had attempted to take her own life. She died in hospital without regaining consciousness a week later. Following a botched PSNI investigation, Creswell was eventually charged with Katie's murder but took his own life after just one day of evidence in the case. Orange Order parade passes through Ardoyne without incident At his trial, it was alleged he had strangled her and tried to cover it up by claiming she had hanged herself. Ms Lyle said that news of Creswell's arrest for Katie's murder 11 years after she walked away was 'devastating', but not surprising. 'I always thought he was capable of something like that,' she said.
BreakingNews.ie
12 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man dies following single vehicle crash in Co Antrim
A man has died and a second was injured following a one-vehicle road crash in Co Antrim. The incident occurred on the Ballyhill Road at Nutts Corner on Saturday evening. Advertisement Inspector Cherith Adair: said 'Our officers received and responded to a report of a collision involving a white VW Golf in the area at approximately 5.50pm. Detectives from the Collision Investigation Unit confirm a man has sadly died following a collision at Ballyhill Road. — Police Antrim and Newtownabbey (@PSNIANDistrict) July 13, 2025 'Colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service also attended, however, the driver of the vehicle sadly died at the scene. 'A male passenger travelling in the vehicle was taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries, not believed to be life-threatening at this time.' Ms Adair said the road had been closed for a time but has since reopened. Advertisement She added: 'The investigation remains ongoing, and we would ask anyone with mobile phone or dashcam footage, or information which might assist, to get in touch. 'The number to call is 101, quoting reference number 1615 of 12/07/25.'
