Children could have been badly hurt in attack, neighbour

Children could have been badly hurt in a racially-motivated attack on a home in Donaghadee, a neighbour has said.

A window was smashed and graffiti daubed on the wall of a property in the Killaughey Road area of the town shortly before 22:00 BST on Saturday.

“I heard the noise of the window being broken and I thought it was thunder or lightning,” said Elizabeth Burch, who has lived in the area for 60 years.

“We’ve never had that sort of trouble at any time in anyway.”

Donaghadee Community Development Association said a woman and her three young children lived in the house.

Ms Burch said another neighbour helped the family get away.

Police said they were keen to speak to anyone who may have seen someone dressed in dark clothing and riding an electric scooter in the area.

“We are grateful that those present in the property were uninjured, though we are very aware that we could potentially have been dealing with more serious consequences,” said Insp Van Der Schyff.

“I know these actions do not represent the feelings of the local residents, many of whom approached our officers to condemn this crime and show their support for the family affected.

“Everyone, no matter what their background, has the right to feel safe in their home.

“We are tireless in our pursuit of those responsible for any hate crime.”

In a statement, John Caldwell from the Donaghadee Community Development Association said the organisation was outraged by the attack.

“There is no place for such mindless acts of hatred in our town,” he said.

“Today we stand together to send a clear message that Donaghadee rejects division and stands for compassion, inclusion and respect.”

Separately, a number of incidents in north Belfast on Thursday are being treated by police as racially motivated criminal damage.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said politicians and public figures needed “to look at the language that they are using” around migration.