While it is not been specifically established who was behind the attack on the memorial to the victims of the atrocity at McGurk's bar in north Belfast, police have said that they are regarding it as a hate crime.
Paint was thrown around two sides of an elaborate mural recreating the exterior of the popular North Queen Street bar where 15 people died and 17 others were injured in a no-warning loyalist bombing in 1971.
There can be little doubt that it was a blatant attempt to increase tensions in a sensitive area we approach the height of the marching season, and it needs to be stressed that anyone who is drawn into acts of retaliation would be playing into the hands of the perpetrators.
The best way to respond is to restore the tribute to its original condition, and all those who gathered to carry out the repair work last night deserve considerable credit for their efforts.
