Letterkenny activist Mary T. Sweeney has condemned an alleged sectarian arson attack at the home of an Aontú representative in Newry.
Sharon Loughran, an Aontú Newry representative, discovered her car set alight outside her home in the early hours of July 12th.
Loughran, a paediatric nurse, awoke to the smell of smoke and the sound of her car in flames. The inferno caused serious damage to her house.
Mary T. Sweeney, who ran in the last local and general elections, said: “This intimidation will simply not work. This horrendous action could easily have had fatal consequences. I personally can’t understand why they would target Aontú. Our party is only 4 years old – we have no history or baggage from the past. Indeed, Aontú has many Catholic and Protestant members both North and South.”
This follows an attack in September last year when an Aontú councillor, Emmet Doyle, from Derry claims he was assaulted in public because of his pro-life stance.
Ms Sweeney continued: “Both these incidents are deeply disturbing, and should be treated as a serious breach of democracy and an attack on free speech.
“I can assure these people that this intimidation will simply not work. Our commitment to freedom of expression and belief is unwavering and we in Aontú will not be intimidated by thuggery of this type. On the contrary, this unsavoury incident only strengthens our resolve to continue to promote and build Aontú in Donegal and throughout Ireland based on our principles of Life, Unity and Economic Justice.”
