Joint statement by TUV Ballymena councillor Matthew Armstrong and Bannside councillor Timothy Gaston:
“Last night we spent the evening with residents of Albert Place until the police arrived after reports reached us of the numerous instances of sectarian vandalism in the area including on the wall of West Presbyterian Church, the doctors’ surgery, vehicles and at least one shop front.
“At a time of national and international crisis the like of which few of us have seen in our lifetime communities are coming together. Sadly these actions show that there are still those with absolutely no regard for the rule of law or their neighbours.
“We commend the PSNI for responding to this serious incident and arresting a man at the scene. We very much hope that the circumstances in which this attack was carried out will be considered by the courts and that a strong message will be sent that this disgusting behaviour will not be tolerated by society.
“We would commend the council for sending out a team to clean up Albert Place this morning and very much hope that it will be back to its former glory very soon.”
Party leader and local MLA Jim Allister added:
“This disgusting behaviour is a particularly stark illustration of the anti-social behaviour which some in Ballymena suffer from all too often. I welcome the fact that someone has been arrested by police. It is imperative that, after due process, the courts send a very clear message that this is unacceptable.
“I also want to commend councillors Armstrong and Gaston for their efforts last night. Once again they have illustrated why TUV has a record for on the ground delivery in Mid and East Antrim Council.”