‘UK City of Culture’ office attacked

A small bomb exploded at the office in Derry of the ‘UK City of Culture’ program early on Monday.

No organisation claimed responsibility for the device, which caused some damage to the doors at the Northern Counties building at Guildhall Square and no injuries.

The office is used for planning events associated with 2013, when Derry is ostensibly to become the ‘UK’s City of Culture’ in a multi-million pound publicity campaign. The designation is highly controversial among nationalists and has been denigrated by republican traditionalists in the city as an attempt at normalisation of British rule.

In August, a 200 pound bomb was detonated near a police station in the city.

The Mayor of Derry described the early morning bomb attack as “shameful and pathetic”.

SDLP councillor Colum Eastwood said nothing would deflect the city council’s attempts to ensure the award granted to Derry last summer would result in receiving financial benefits.

Also denouncing the attack, former Sinn Fein Mayor of the city, Paul Fleming, said that Irish culture would be “fully included” in the UK City of Culture program.

“There are people working very hard at the City of Culture offices to attract investment, tourism and job creation for the citizens of Derry, and working to ensure that Irish culture is fully included in the plans for Derry in 2013”, he said.

“The last thing they need is an incident like this taking place which is attempting to undermine that good work.”

Urgent Appeal