Orange Order believes paint attack on Motherwell hall is a '˜hate crime'

Motherwell Orange and Purple District 25 believes it was the victim of a hate crime after its hall was vandalised on the day of an Old Firm match.
The aftermath of the paint attack on the Orange hall in MotherwellThe aftermath of the paint attack on the Orange hall in Motherwell
The aftermath of the paint attack on the Orange hall in Motherwell

Between 10pm and 11pm on Saturday, December 29, just hours after Rangers defeated Celtic, the social club in Milton Street had white and green paint thrown at it.

Worthy District Master Mark Findlay says in his 14 years as a member he cannot remember such an incident happening before and that the timing was not coincidental.

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He said: “This was an act of vandalism by mindless individuals, but unlike other times where there may have been a wee bit of graffiti this was clearly a targeted attack.

“We have reported it to the police and are trying to get it treated as a hate crime because the use of white and green paint on the day of an Old Firm game cannot have been coincidental ... this was clearly a ‘hit’ on the Orange hall.

“They were even smart enough to use gloss paint so it wouldn’t just wash away in the rain. We’ve had to put in a request for North Lanarkshire Council’s vandalism team to come and remove it.

“Just like the racist incidents that have taken place at various football grounds recently there is no place for sectarianism in today’s society – yet it somehow feels like we are going backwards.

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“It’s not just about us though, what sort of impression does it gave the wider community seeing this kind of vandalism, would you want to leave your car at the park and ride?

“Unfortunately, the CCTV was broken at the time of the incident, but it has now been repaired and we will be on our guard on the day of the next Old Firm game.”