'Disgusting' - Politicians condemn sectarian graffiti targeting Northern Irish actor

Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt has been the target of sectarian graffiti daubed onto a wall in Portrush last night.

The graffiti, accompanied by a crosshairs symbol, read '1 x king, 1 x crown. No Pope in our Town James Nesbitt'.

It is thought the vandalism may refer to Mr Nesbitt's appearance at the Ireland's Future event in Dublin last month, where he was the keynote speaker.

The meeting also featured a number of nationalist politicians with a clear focus on Irish unity.

Police said they are treating the incident as a sectarian hate crime.

"Police in Coleraine received a report of graffiti on a wall in the Bushmills Road area of Portrush on Wednesday 19th October," said a spokesperson.

"The graffiti is believed to have been written on the wall sometime between 5pm on Tuesday and 7.30pm on Wednesday evening and is being treated as a hate crime."

The incident has been roundly condemned, with East Derry MLA Caoimhe Archibald denouncing it as an attack on 'freedom of expression'.

"The appearance of threatening and sectarian graffiti directed at James Nesbitt in Portrush is disgusting," she said.

"These threats are an attack on the right to freedom of expression. They come only weeks after James Nesbitt addressed thousands of people in Dublin from right across the political spectrum to discuss the future of the island of Ireland.

The sectarian threats directed at James Nesbitt in Portrush are disgusting and an attack on freedom of expression.

This is a sinister effort to silence debate and intimidate people from joining the discussion on Irish unity.

Those responsible should be held to account.

— Caoimhe Archibald (@CArchibald_SF) October 19, 2022

"This is clearly a sinister effort to silence debate and intimidate people from joining the discussion.

"There is no place in society for the threats and hatred directed at James Nesbitt. Political leaders should stand shoulder to shoulder in opposition to these threats.

"Those responsible for this hate crime should be held to account. Anyone with information on those responsible should bring it forward to the PSNI."

Fellow MLA Cara Hunter said the graffiti was 'disgraceful'.

"Whoever carried out this act does not have the support of people in Portrush, who are rightly proud that Mr Nesbitt calls this area home and are grateful for all the work he has done in promoting it over the years," she said.

"This attempt to shut down conversation around our constitutional future is a sinister development and I am glad to see it has been condemned by those right across the political spectrum.

"Everyone is free to express their own opinion on the future of these islands, but they do not have the right to intimidate anyone else simply for engaging in the debate.

"If we are truly going to build a shared future then we need a wide range of voices contributing to make that possible. Nobody should feel they are unable to take part in that discussion because of incidents like this.

"I would encourage anyone with any information about what happened here to come forward to police and express my full solidarity with Mr Nesbitt following this incident."

Independent MLA Claire Sugden appealed for those responsible to 'wise up'.

"While I don’t agree with the stance recently expressed by Jimmy on the future direction of Northern Ireland, he is certainly entitled to express it without fear of intimidation such as this," she said.

“This is a criminal act and one that must be condemned in the strongest sense. Jimmy is a widely respected and much-loved star and all right-thinking people from Northern Ireland are rightly proud of him.

"He has done much more for this area than any of those involved in this ever will.

“The fools behind this action, on the other hand, portray the worst of Northern Irish society and represent little-to-no public opinion.

“We are all entitled to express our opinions free of such public intimidation.

“I am pleased that the PSNI are taking this as seriously as it should be and treating it as a hate crime. I hope this is the last we see of exhibitions like this and that those behind this are dealt with appropriately."

Causeway Coast and Glens councillor Chris McCaw, who is from Portrush, said it was an example of 'hateful behaviour'.

"The people of Portrush do not support hateful behaviour like this," he said.

"Hate-filled threats and destruction of property must be condemned by every right-thinking person. This is rightfully being investigated as a hate crime and I hope the PSNI catch the perpetrators."

The graffiti on the Bushmills Road, Portrush.

The incident also received condemnation from further afield, with former First Minister Arlene Foster and loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson also criticising those responsible.

Police enquiries are ongoing and officers have asked anyone with any information to contact them in Coleraine on 101, quoting reference number 1677 19/10/22.

A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.