Statement by TUV Councillor Ruth Wilson:
“Sometime on Saturday night / Sunday morning the First World War Tommy in Cairncastle was vandalised. This, of course, comes just a few days after Sinn Féin/IRA’s James McKeown complained about the “Ghost Tommy”.
“It is important to stress that there is nothing sectarian or divisive about these tasteful memorials to the sacrifice of the Great War. Quite the reverse. The many thousands of Nationalists who went off to fight for freedom in Europe are paid tribute to by way of the Ghost Tommys as well as Unionists.
“It is deeply insulting to the memory of thousands who paid the supreme sacrifice to ignore this historical fact.
“McKeown cannot wash his hands of this incident having made such a fuss just a few days ago.
“I have reported the vandalism to the PSNI as a hate crime and would urge anyone with information to come forward to the police. This kind of behaviour should have no place in Mid and East Antrim and all elected representatives should be united in their condemnation of it.”