Dual language signs defaced

DUAL language signage on a road outside Omagh has been defaced in what has been branded a ‘hate crime’.

Mid Tyrone Cllr Patrick Withers has described the damage caused to the signs on Tattyreagh Road as an “attack on the Irish language”.

The signs have writing in both English and Irish.

Cllr Withers said the incident had been reported to the PSNI by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. He has requested that restoring these signs be ‘prioritised’.

Describing it as a ‘hate crime’, the councillor said, “Residents of the Tattyreagh Road have applied for this signage to be installed in line with our council policy and it is deeply disappointing and frustrating that this incident follows on from other signs being removed or damaged over the last year.”

He added, “Everyone has the right to have their culture and identity respected and I would encourage those involved in this type of activity to stop.”