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POLICE IN THE North are investing criminal damage to an SDLP party election billboard in Derry.
The incident happened in the Bonds Hill area of Derry in the early hours of this morning.
The Northern Ireland Assembly election takes place on Thursday, and SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood says “the destruction of a party election billboard in Derry won’t stop people voting for change”.
Eastwood says it “has been an incredibly nasty election campaign so far, with SDLP candidates coming under attack in constituencies across the North”.
The SDLP leader also claimed that “loyalist paramilitaries are manipulating young people and sending them to attack SDLP posters and billboards in every constituency where we could take a DUP seat”.
Meanwhile, SDLP Foyle candidate Sinead McLaughlin labelled the incident “an attack on democracy”.
In a statement to The Journal, a PSNI spokesperson said “police are investigating a report of criminal damage at the Bond’s Hill area of Derry and enquiries are continuing”.
The spokesperson added that the PSNI is “doing everything we can to ensure all candidates can participate fully in the forthcoming Northern Ireland Assembly election free from harassment, intimidation and other forms of criminality”.
This act of criminal damage in Derry follows an incident last Saturday (April 23) in which People Before Profit candidate Hannah Kenny was physically and verbally assaulted while canvassing in east Belfast.
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Unionism is done.
@Seán Ó Briain: hopefully the Dinosaur Unionist Party will be a thing of the past. Be good to see the more moderate UUP topple them in the election and take up a deputy first minister role.
DUP and most loyalist parties are terrified of change and its brexit that has them in the manure the tories have put them all in and the DUP facilitated it and should rightfully take what they sowed, nothing they can blame republican parties on this time all there own doing, boo hoo
The last stings of a dying wasp. Pathet1c.
Looks like the last sting of a dying wasp from the D.U.P.
We need to start taking unionist down south and nationalist up north like a family swap type of scheme to show we can all live together in peace it’s only the criminals that want to divide us … I think a united ireland be good for all races and religions we the most progressive country in Europe
@Gerrard: sorry, there are loads of nationalists up North. Unionists don’t like them in a racist sort of way. Don’t expect them to put out the red carpet for Southerners coming up to show them how nice they are.
Kinda not quite got a horse in this race, but if some sharpie on a campaign poster, sways things, maybe there is a bigger issue in play.
Why are the police investing in anything
have your say