Attacks on Orange Order halls are increasing tensions ahead of this year’s July 12th parades, police in Northern Ireland warned today.
GAA premises and Catholic churches have also been targeted by small groups, the PSNI added.
Officers have stepped up policing efforts and said those behind the provocation had little support.
Assistant PSNI chief constable Judith Gillespie said: “It appears that in order to serve their misguided ends they try to raise tensions, particularly ahead of set times in the Northern Ireland calendar like July 12th.
“One of the ways they are doing this is to attack buildings which are of importance and significance to their neighbours.”
There have been 289 arson attacks against orange halls since 1971, according to figures released earlier this year.
Over the weekend there were two incidents in Co Tyrone. Graffiti was sprayed on the walls of a hall at Drumkern Road, Dungannon, overnight between Saturday and Sunday. Two windows were also damaged.
Orange Order property at Lisaclare Road, Stewartstown, was also damaged yesterday morning when graffiti was daubed on the exterior walls.
Last week two windows were broken at Kilrea Orange Hall, Co Derry, the third incident at the premises in recent times.
Ulster Unionist MLA David McClarty said: “Northern Ireland as a society has moved on in the last decade. Sadly there are still those who would seek to drag us back into the awful past from which we have emerged.”
Ms Gillespie said most people were optimistic about the future.
“Yet there are some very small groups of people who seem to be firmly anchored in the past,” she added in a joint statement with ACC Duncan McCausland. “They have little or no support. But they don’t seem to have woken up to that fact yet.”
She warned of the risk of retaliation. “We have seen a series of attacks on Orange halls. But we have also seen attacks on buildings which are culturally important to the Catholic community.”
She added policing efforts had been stepped up across the country, with officers told to be aware of potential attacks and damage, often in isolated areas.
An Orange Order spokesman said: “We have condemned all attacks on any type of community hall and we would encourage the police to do everything they can to prevent any further incidents.
“We have been working closely with the police in an attempt to reduce these attacks and we will be alerting our members to the warning.”
SDLP MLA John Dallat said loyalists in Co Derry last week placed a huge Northern Ireland flag on a television aerial of a Catholic pensioner. When he confronted them near his Garvagh home Paddy McTaggart (65) was verbally abused.
Mr Dallat said his windows had been broken four times and eggs thrown at the home. “This man’s life is made an absolute hell at this time of year,” he added.
PA