Police in Northern Ireland have launched an inquiry after a memorial commemorating two men killed during the Troubles was defaced with paint. Officers have classified the incident as criminal damage being treated as a hate crime.
Incident and investigation
Police said they received a report at about 10.35pm on Wednesday 29 July that a memorial park in the Newtownards Road area of east Belfast had been “paint-bombed”. The monument commemorates Jimmy McCurrie and Bobby Neill, who were shot dead nearby in June 1970.
“This is being treated as a hate crime and our inquiries are ongoing. We would appeal to anyone with information to contact police using our witness appeal form… quoting reference 2066 of 29/07/26, or call us on 101.”
The police statement set out the reference number for the appeal and provided details of how members of the public can pass on information to assist enquiries.
Community response
Local DUP councillor Bradley Ferguson described the defacement as an insult to those commemorated and particularly distressing for the families. He said the memorial had previously been targeted in 2024 and warned that repeated attacks were retraumatising relatives, including the widow of one of the men, who is reported to be in her nineties.
“The McCurrie family made me aware of the latest attack on the memorial, which is not just an insult to those commemorated on it, but particularly to the families ... It is important there is leadership from across the community to condemn this attack.”
He urged anyone with information to come forward to help identify those responsible and called for cross-community leadership in condemning the act.
Context and implications
Memorials to victims of the Troubles remain sensitive sites across Northern Ireland. Attacks on commemorative monuments can exacerbate communal tensions and cause significant distress to relatives and communities who view such sites as places of remembrance. The police classification of the act as a hate crime indicates investigators consider it motivated by hostility towards the identity or background associated with those commemorated.
- Location: Memorial park, Newtownards Road, east Belfast
- Date/time reported: c. 10.35pm, 29 July 2026
- Police reference: 2066 of 29/07/26
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Victims commemorated | Jimmy McCurrie and Bobby Neill (killed June 1970) |
| Previous attack | 2024 |
| Police contact | Witness appeal form or 101 |
Police continue to investigate and have appealed for witnesses or information to help identify those responsible. No arrests were reported in the material supplied.
