Incidents of sectarian graffiti have more than doubled in Glasgow – and most of the crimes target Catholics.
According to data obtained by the Scottish Catholic Observer through a Freedom of Information request, Glasgow City Council was asked to clean up 83 incidents of bigoted scrawls in 2015 and 188 in 2016.
The rise appears to be continuing: there were 56 sectarian graffiti incidents in just the first three months of this year.
Some of the graffiti targeted schools, so that children were barred from their playground owing to its sectarian and vulgar nature. Other graffiti came from both sides of the Celtic and Rangers football rivalry, with derogatory comments made about the Pope and Catholics.
Anti-Catholic graffiti used earlier this year saw distressing phrases such as “Kill all taigs”, a derogatory term used to refer to Irish Catholics, written on public property.
Peter Kearney, director of the Scottish Catholic Media Office, said: “Religious intolerance, whether verbal or visual is always unacceptable. Recent religious hate crime statistics showed that although Catholics account for just 16 per cent of the population, 57 per cent of all such crime targets Catholics or Catholicism. It appears that graffiti in our largest city seems to mirror this saddening disparity.”
In August the Church in Scotland urged the Government to adopt a “name and shame” approach to religious hate crime, saying that past statements had been vague about the problem.
A spokesman for the council said sectarian graffiti was “completely unacceptable” and it aimed to remove such vandalism within two days.
Britain to gain Trappist brewery
Trappist monks have been given permission to set up a brewery at their monastery in rural Leicestershire.
Monks at Mount St Bernard Abbey near Whitwick are seeking to convert a redundant part of their monastery into a brewery. If approved by the International Trappist Association it could become only the 12th place in the world to produce authentic Trappist beer.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.