Attack and threats amid election tensions

A family including an 11-month-old baby have escaped injury after their house was paint-bombed and windows smashed in a sectarian attack.

Several loyalists wearing balaclavas targeted the property and smashed windows at a house on Bloomfield Court in Bangor, County Down, in a late night attack on Monday.

Windows at the front and back of the property were smashed with bricks and paint bombs were also thrown, causing damage to both the outside and inside of the house on the ground floor.

Paint damage was also caused to the outside and inside of the house on the ground floor.

Politicians have condemned the attack.

Meanwhile, two Sinn Fein election workers were told to “get out” of Portadown, County Armagh while putting up posters.

Assembly member John O’Dowd, the party’s Westminster election candidate for Upper Bann, described the incident as intimidation and said it was “completely unacceptable and an attack on the democratic process”.

He said: “These is a clear onus on unionist politicians to show leadership in this situation and condemn those behind this intimidation and call for it to end.”

Meanwhile, a Protestant church minister has apologised for a bizarre sectarian comment involving blonde hair-dye.

He said he was “glad hydrogen peroxide is dyeing hair blonde and not going into creamery cans to make explosives”.

The comments by Church of Ireland Canon Mark Watson were criticised by Sinn Fein Assembly member Jemma Dolan, who described them as “extraordinary and outrageous”.

They came after Mrs Foster was criticised last week for sexist remarks in which she described Sinn Fein northern leader Michelle O’Neill as “blonde”.

The Canon made the comments on Saturday at a Westminster election event in County Fermanagh in support of Ulster Unionist candidate Tom Elliott, which was attended by DUP leader Arlene Foster.

Urgent Appeal