Diane Forsythe – 2022 Statement on Desecration of War Memorials

The statement made by Diane Forsythe, the DUP MLA for South Down, on 28 October 2022.

This year we unveiled the VC statue in Kilkeel, such was the fear of attack a local organisation installed CCTV. Only this week, the war memorial and service memorial have been attacked twice. This is vile. For anyone to wreck the wreaths and be urinating on the memorial is grotesquely offensive.

I am calling for political leadership from all parties in South Down for the arrest and prosecution of those causing criminal damage to the war memorial and I also want to see a more proactive policing operation to ensure the people who feel this is acceptable are brought before the courts.

There is no place for such intolerance in Kilkeel.