Police in Belfast, Northern Ireland are hunting for information on the individuals behind an image shared on social media yesterday showing armed men standing alongside graffiti that reads 'Catholics will be crucified'.
The image was posted just four days before the loyalist community of Northern Ireland commemorate the 12th July, a celebration of Protestant King William's victory over Catholic King James in the Battle of the Boyne which often sees tensions between Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists increase and violence erupt when unionist parades pass through nationalist areas.
In the picture, eight men can be seen clutching axes and bats wearing masks. The slogan they are standing next to reads: "Taigs [a derogatory term for a Catholic or Irish nationalists] will be crucified VTOT".
The term VTOT stands for "Village Team On Tour", which references a gang based in a loyalist area in south Belfast.
Both Protestants and Catholics took to social media to express their disgust at the picture, with one user writing: "To all Catholics reading this. Please please never believe that every Protestant thinks this way. We don't!! This makes me ashamed to be one today."
Another user said: "It doesn't matter what religion your background is...There's bad in all walks of life. These people are a minority!"
Reacting to the flood of comments condemning the image, another user said: "Great to see the vast majority on here all united in their views and need to move away from all this hatred. This represents the type of country I want to live in!"
Speaking to local media, Sinn Féin MLA for West Belfast, Fra McCann, called for the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) to investigate the picture, describing the image as "extremely sinister".
"The picture was clearly taken to heighten tensions as we approach the 12 of July," McCann said, adding that she would be forwarding the picture to the PSNI and reporting it as a sectarian hate crime.
A senior officer with knowledge of the case, who asked not to be named, said that an investigation into the picture is ongoing: "We will be looking to find the individuals who have done this as soon as possible," adding "these actions may be seen as inflaming tensions or could be seen as criminal damage, it all depends on who we find responsible".
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