PSNI say damage to portrait being treated as hate crime

The PSNI says it is treating damage to a portrait of a former unionist mayor of Belfast as a hate crime.

An employee of Sinn Féin, who worked in the Stormont Assembly, resigned from the party after admitting involvement in the incident.

It happened just over a week ago and involved a portrait of former DUP mayor Wallace Browne.

It is understood the portrait was removed from the wall, in the course of which, the glass was smashed.

The PSNI said its investigation was continuing.

"Police continuing to investigate criminal damage caused to artwork in Belfast City Hall are treating the report as a hate crime.

"The criminal damage is understood to have occurred sometime on Saturday evening, 19th October and was subsequently reported to police on Monday, 21st October."

The incident happened following an event at Belfast City Hall to celebrate an Irish language group's 20th anniversary.

Glór na Móna said it had had no knowledge of the incident at the time.

It said it was contrary to the ethos and principles of the organisation.

Several senior Sinn Féin figures were among those who had gathered for the commemorative event.

They included former party president Gerry Adams and Aisling Reilly, a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Executive.

A hate crime in Northern Ireland is defined as a crime against a person because of race, religious belief, sexual orientation, political opinion, gender identity or disability.

Hate crime can have many forms ranging from name calling to damage to property to hate mail.

The portrait of the former DUP mayor was damaged just days after that of a former Sinn Féin mayor had been removed by agreement.

The portrait of former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile was removed after he was found to have sent inappropriate texts to a 16-year-old boy.