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‘Gestapo police’ graffiti on local hall is condemned

November 11th, 2020 2:24 PM

By Kieran O'Mahony

The green wall which contained the graffiti is right beside the garda checkpoint. (Photo: Denis Boyle)

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LOCALS in Innishannon have condemned graffiti which was written on the wall of their community hall, which was only repainted last year.

The graffiti –  which had the tagline ‘Gestapo Police’ – was directed at a static garda checkpoint in the village that has been in operation since the country went to Level 5.

The graffiti has since been cleaned off the wall. Speaking to The Southern Star, local author Alice Taylor – who is a member of Innishannon Tidy Towns – said they have never had problems with graffiti in their well-kept village before. ‘This is a community hall maintained by the parish hall committee who only got it painted last year,’ said Alice.

‘It’s kind of sad really and this is nothing to do with people in the village and it’s not the view of the people of Innishannon,’ she said.

It’s just someone using the community hall as a billboard due to the fact that a checkpoint is there most days now.’

Alice said it is very unfair and disrespectful to the gardaí who she said are just doing their job but had to see this offensive graffiti every day until it was painted over.

‘The whole situation with Covid-19 is difficult enough as it is, without this vandalism taking place.’

It is understood the graffiti appeared overnight after the gardaí had finished their checkpoint on the village on the Monday night of the recent bank holiday weekend.

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