Church attack sectarian
arson attack on St Mary's church in the North Antrim village of Cushendall has all the hallmarks of a sectarian attack.
Two tyres filled with an inflammable liquid were placed outside the door of the church and set alight in the early morning attack on Monday 12 June.
The blaze spread into the sacristy causing serious damage to the roof however a man going to work, at about 4am, spotted the fire and raised the alarm.
Fire crews stopped the fire from spreading to the rest of the chapel.
Sinn Féin spokesperson for the area, Catherine O'Hagan, explained that in the past year sectarian tensions have risen in the area. She pointed to the recent bomb attack on the home of Catholic woman Francesca Feeney and her Protestant partner outside Glenarm on 19 March this year and the daubing of UVF graffiti on the roof of the parochial hall of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Glenarm at the same time.
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