Threatening graffiti appears near west Belfast homeless charity at centre of attack

Sinister grafitti threatening to shoot workmen who plan to carry out repairs on a homeless charity has appeared in west Belfast.

The graffiti was sprayed on a wall in Milford Close in the Divis area in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the Welcome Organisation’s building at Townsend Street was badly damaged when a suspected stolen car was rammed into the shutters of its building and set alight.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus battled the blaze, which caused significant damage to the building.

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Police confirmed on Wednesday a man aged in his 40s was arrested by officers in the area on suspicion of “arson and related offences”

“He remains in custody at this time assisting officers with their enquiries as the investigation continues,” the spokesperson added.

The message on the wall on Milford Close was reported just after 1.20am on Wednesday and read: “Any work-men repairing welcome centre will be shot!”

Police have appealed for information on the incident.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson condemned the “outrageous and mindless” attack, calling for a stop to any threats.

“I have visited this Centre in the past and can testify to the invaluable work they do for our city and those who, through varied circumstances, find themselves without shelter,” he said.

“This threat should be lifted immediately, and the Centre should be supported in being able to reopen their doors.”

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll condemned the graffiti and described those threatening workers as “bully boys”.

“Deprived areas like west Belfast are at the sharpest end of the housing crisis and all of the problems that come with it,” the west Belfast representative said.

“If the mindless perpetrators of the attacks on the Welcome Centre think we can intimidate, shoot, or threaten our way out of the social problems working class communities face then they are sorely mistaken.”

Mr Carroll added that instead of punching down on the most vulnerable, anger should be directed towards both Stormont and Westminster for failing to “invest in homes, workers’ pay and in services”.

In response to the recent threats made against the Welcome Organisation, Jude Whyte, Chairperson of the Welcome Organisation said:

“Our primary concern following this threat to the work of the Welcome Organisation is the safety of our staff and service users.

“As an emergency measure, we are looking to make alternative arrangements off-site for our drop-in services with partners in Belfast city centre to ensure that we can provide the vital support we know that service users need in Belfast.

“We are continuing to explore our options with statutory and voluntary partners to ensure the future of our drop-in services for people in need.

“The rest of our services including outreach, accommodation based services and floating support continue to operate as normal.

“It is important that contractors are able to access the building so that the necessary works can be completed to secure the building. It is vital that they are able to do this without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Mr Whyte said the organisation would do its “utmost to support people experiencing homelessness in the days, weeks and months to come.”

“We are grateful for the support of many people from all walks of life across the city in recent days,” he said.

“We continue to work to find alternative arrangements for the public to drop off much needed donations.”