Editorial: Sinn Fein should do the decent thing for once in relation to the republican sectarian vandalism of a portrait

So, there has been yet another disgraceful saga involving Sinn Fein that ends without any sanction.

​As we report on our front page and on page six, there will be no prosecution over despicable vandalism of a portrait of a former DUP lord mayor at Belfast City Hall.

Such vandalism is almost unheard of among users of that fine old building in the heart of Northern Ireland’s capital city – yet in a moment of republican thuggery a portrait of one of the city’s first citizens, the distinguished DUP peer Lord Wallace Browne, was deliberately damaged.

The Sinn Fein first minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill later informed Stormont that a Sinn Fein employee had made the party chief whip aware of their involvement in an incident regarding a portrait and that they had been suspended, then resigned. Yet the investigation into this vandalism was slow – the attack was more than a year ago. This led to a wide feeling among unionists that nothing would come of it, just as nothing came of the disgraceful and hypocritical mass covid breach at an IRA funeral, partly led by Ms O’Neill – the very politician who was sanctimonious about lock-down.

Prosecutors have given a reasonably detailed explanation of why they felt no conviction was likely, but this does not explain the delay – which fuelled perceptions of a fear of ever pursuing a penalty when republicans are involved. The DUP MLA Phillip Brett speaks for many people when he says: “No one can look at these facts and feel confident that justice has been done.”

Maybe Sinn Fein will for once do the decent thing after sectarian republican conduct. Tell us what you know – given that the organisers would not give a list of attendees, given that apparently no-one witnessed it.

Sinn Fein – someone told you they were involved in this, so tell us what you know. A key person in the saga “exercised his right” not to answer PSNI questions.