Orange Hall arson attack: DUP asks Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill why she hasn't condemned this hate crime in her area?

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The DUP has queried Michelle O'Neill’s title of 'First Minister for all' after she failed to condemn the burning down of an Orange Hall in her constituency.

Ballynougher Orange Hall on the Aghagaskin Road near Magherafelt, was burnt down on Sunday afternoon, in what police are calling a hate crime.

DUP Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan said the greatest increase in sectarian incidents within the last year was recorded in the Mid Ulster Constituency.

"It is not just the constituency that I represent, but also the constituency of our self-proclaimed ‘First Minister for all’," he said. "There was strong leadership and a clear statement from SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone in response to the Ballynougher attack, yet Michelle O’Neill or any of the other Sinn Fein MLAs for Mid Ulster have yet to utter a single word."

Orange Order Chief Executive Iain Carlisle said he was not aware of any Sinn Fein representative from Mid Ulster having condemned the attack.

"If they don't feel they need to condemn it at a local level, that is up to them," he said. "In fairness Conor Murphy did condemn it - when he was asked about it - on the radio, which I suppose has to be welcomed."

Sinn Fein did not issue any press statement about the attack. The party responded that its Newry and Armagh MLA Conor Murphy condemned the attack just after 8:30am on Good Morning Ulster on Monday.

"That was the first opportunity for a Sinn Féin leader to comment on this attack and he did so clearly," a party spokesman said. "That is our position. Sinn Féin has consistently condemned attacks on Orange Halls and on all community buildings or facilities targeted in hate attacks. There is no place for this in our society no matter where it emanates from."

The controversy comes as the News Letter created a line graph to illustrate police records of attacks on GAA/Hibernian halls and OrangeApprentice Boys Halls since 2007/08.

Newry & Mourne UUP Councillor David Taylor said all attacks on such properties are hate crimes.

“I am glad to see that PSNI statistics show that attacks on GAA premises have all but ceased since 2016," he said. “Work clearly needs to be done to end attacks on Orange Halls too."