Anti-Irish News graffiti has been scrawled on the wall of an Alliance party office in east Belfast after a councillor highlighted concerns in the publication over a loyalist bonfire displaying violent, sectarian and Nazi images.
Michael Long said on Friday he will not be intimidated after an office run by his wife, and Alliance leader Naomi Long, was targeted on the Newtownards Road overnight on Thursday.
The message which said: "F*** The Irish News", was signed CRT. CRT is believed to be a reference to loyalist youths in east Belfast who call themselves 'Clonduff Rocket Team'.
Read More:
- What are eleventh night bonfires?
- Eleventh Night bonfire puts £300,000 sports facilities at risk
- Bonfire builders hut decked in sectarian, violent and Nazi images
The PSNI said they are treating the development as a sectarian motivated hate crime.
A spokeswoman added that two males were seen in the area on an electric-powered motocross-type bicycle at around 1.40am on Friday.
The driver is described as wearing dark trousers, a dark-coloured 'Canada Goose' coat, 'Nike Air Max' trainers and a balaclava.
"The passenger was described as wearing a dark-coloured hooded top and lighter-coloured work trousers with multiple dark-coloured pockets," the PSNI said in a statement.
The attack was carried just hours after Mr Long, voiced concern about a loyalist bonfire and symbols hung in a hut used by builders at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre.
Pictures published in The Irish News on Friday showed the inside of the builder's hut draped in a flag depicting a crouching masked man holding a rocket launcher, and included the words 'Clonduff Rocket Team'.
A similar flag has been flown from a lamppost nearby.
Alex Kane: Why are loyalist paramilitaries still recruiting – and why do they still exist? (premium)
Other offensive images include a Swastika made from tape stuck to a makeshift wooden table.
The letters 'CRT' have been handwritten on each end of the Nazi symbol.
The letters UVF have also been etched onto the table.
The letters KAT, 'Kill All Taigs', have been scrawled onto a battered sofa seat along with an obscene image.
The bonfire is being built in an area where the UVF is understood to be prominent.
Flags supporting that paramilitary group were flown around the site last year.
The Lisnasharragh bonfire is being built close to two modern 4G playing pitches, which cost £300,000 to install at the £20m leisure centre, which reopened in 2019.
One of the 4G pitches was damaged by a similar pyre last year.
Hundreds of pallets have been piled up at the site over recent weeks.
In April Mr Long told how he was left feeling frightened and intimidated after he was physically assaulted and branded "republican scum" as he canvassed in east Belfast ahead of May's local elections.
On Friday in The Irish News Mr Long said it was "totally unacceptable to have this kind of material and these images basically glorifying terrorism at any site."
The long-serving Alliance representative struck a defiant note on Friday.
"Whether it's physical intimidation or whether it's graffiti nonsense on our office it's not going to stop me speaking out about the concerns of local residents," he said.
"I have had lots of people, especially in the last couple of days coming up and saying they find it totally unacceptable in their local area and as a elected representative it's my role to speak up on their behalf.
"They don't seem to realise that I am not going to be silenced on these matters.
"I will stand up for the rights of my local constituents regardless of the intimidation or intended intimidation of me."
Mr Long also called for action to be taken on the bonfire issue.
"I think the reality is it is on council land and I have been calling for action proactively for a number of months on this particular one to see what we can do to address the problems."
He said he expects the matter to be raised at forthcoming council meetings.
"We will be making it clear that it's our view that action should be taken by the council to stop damage to their property and I think also whenever there is racist and sectarian and paramilitary symbols on our land it doesn't send a very good signal to have it just left there."
A PSNI spokeswoman said they "are aware of a number of flags in the Montgomery Road area of Castlereagh.
"The removal of flags is not the responsibility of the police service nor do we have a specific power to do so and we will only act to remove flags where there are assessed risks to public safety owing to their erection," she said.
"We will continue to work with local communities and partners to find long term solutions to the issues surrounding the flying of flags."
