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Tricolours daubed on Protestant farmer's sheep
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Alan Lewis Photopress Belfast
Sheep in County Tyrone have been targeted in a sectarian attack when they were sprayed with Green and Orange dye to form an Irish tricolour on their coats.
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Six pregnant sheep belonging to a Protestant farmer from Co Tyrone have been daubed with Irish tricolours in an apparent sectarian attack.
The sheep had been left to graze in an isolated field near Ardboe when their coats were covered in green and orange paint to resemble a tricolour.
According to the farmer, who does not want to be identified, there has been an upsurge in sectarian attacks in recent weeks.
He said the ewes were pregnant and fears that some may lose their unborn lambs as a result of the stress they suffered during the incident.
The farmer said republican graffiti has been sprayed on roads near his home, a tricolour has been placed in a field and gates have been left open.
Ulster Unionist MLA Billy Armstrong, who knows the farmer, described the incident as sectarian and intended to intimidate people.
“This was no Halloween prank, it was a sectarian attack. There is always a seriousness behind this type of activity,” he said.
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103 Comments
LEGANDARY
you who dont like it need to wise up
Posted by IRISH ALL THE WAY | 15.11.09, 02:15 GMT
Ann, What is there to lighten up about, would this not be discribed as a hate crime by the human rights, given the full account of the sectarian attacks against this person no matter what his religion is?
Posted by sg. | 10.11.09, 19:18 GMT
i cant help but laugh. seems wrong, but if sectarian is always going to be around, at least their getting creative and hopefully less violent.
Posted by jeffy | 10.11.09, 16:26 GMT
Remember when Martin O'Neill had the Union Flag stuck in his front garden by some pranksters in Glasgow?! Yeah, most posters here didn't find it funny and those that did were slammed as bigots. It's the same deal here, this wasn't done for a laugh, it was done to intimidate an isolated Protestant, and was motivated by the deep running hatred that exists for all things Protestant/Unionist amongst many sections within the Nationalist community. A hate crime pure and simple.
Posted by Steve | 10.11.09, 09:46 GMT
lighten up people
Posted by Anne | 10.11.09, 00:21 GMT
Steve- Coming for the civilised and progressive part of the island I actually don't care about the colour of a sheep's wool.
The rest of Ireland/UK and Europe doesn't care about Northern Ireland and its absurdities. You are an irrelevance and inconvenience.
You can remain in a 1970's time warp or grow up as a society. I find the North and its incongruities quite quaint when I visit but I don't have to live there.
If you're happy with all of this backward religious & political nonsense then that's very unfortunate. Frankly, I don't care.
Posted by Jason | 09.11.09, 19:15 GMT
it's not funny. opening gates is deliberate and malicious and is often practised against farmers by their foes. If this had happened to a left footer there would have been tears a plenty. typical bully boys in tyrone up to their tricks again
Posted by Greg | 07.11.09, 12:36 GMT
Is'nt it strange the sense of humour some people have, especially when it comes to a sectarian hate crime against another vulnerable individual????.
Posted by sg. | 07.11.09, 11:08 GMT
I was really worried about this incident me being a Protestant {truly}last night I found myself counting tricolours instead of sheep! I think it was the Papist threat that was affecting me. I think they are trying to take away the green fields of Ulster and the jobs of our Loyal painters!!
Posted by mike monahan | 07.11.09, 10:12 GMT
I wonder would Jason see the funny side if someone painted his sheep orange.
Then it would the national colour of the Netherlands not the Ivory Coast.
I did not know that Northern Ireland/Ulster was a popular destination for people from Côte d'Ivoire .
Posted by Steve | 07.11.09, 10:06 GMT
I assume they wont insist on protection...
Posted by Allan | 06.11.09, 22:59 GMT
Ba ba, tricolour sheep have you any wool, Ulster still says no sir, this wool isn't very cool, but we'll sell it to some Catholics, they'll pay a pretty price, I only hope their Arran sweaters are ate by protestant lice!
No offence to the farmer though, this is all very tongue in cheek really.
Posted by dreamonic | 06.11.09, 22:02 GMT
It's only the flag of Côte d'Ivoire depending on the position of the sheep. Even then it's a stretch. The paint is red! The Italian flag is presumably offensive in the North.
I'm not sure why the Belfast Telegraph removed part of my first comment before posting it- it is absurd to assume someone's political affiliations based on their religion. Why was that assertion removed?
The meaning of the word "bigot" has also been diminished by Northerners throwing it around like a frisbee. I suppose it's better to have you throw words at each other than revert to your primal ways.
Posted by Jason | 06.11.09, 10:31 GMT
Ref marcus's post - maith thu - shame no one picked up on it ie. flag back to front for a start!
Then there's the cruelty to sheep comments - am sure the farmers hug and caress those sweet ewe's as they prod (aka cattle prod so no pun intended) them into the cattle market, nevermind the proding into the abatoir to reach your sunday roast....yum yum. Don't farmer's usually spray paint them to distinguish them from other famer's fodder? But of course, with a warm hug because the ewes recognise them and leap/trot to them for their kind treatment..... this could go on and on but everyone but the human sheepoids will recognise this as, albeit not desirable, but amusing in light of our gorgeous current political climate... baah baah baah ;-)
Posted by Hey ewe sitting on the fence | 06.11.09, 02:33 GMT
You are just making fools out of those sheep.
Posted by jp | 06.11.09, 00:58 GMT
Paint the Stars and Bars on them... (the flag of the Confederacy) and then see how many pay attention... just a thought from across the pond in the Old Dominion of Virginia. :_)
Posted by lanelle | 06.11.09, 00:29 GMT
On behalf of all good Kiwis who either have owned or known sheep, we as a nation are appalled and outraged at this offensive action.....our sheep-loving cuzzies on the West Island called OZ have come out in solidarity with the sheep by refraining to mention the words "mint sauce" in earshot.
Posted by Philip Holdway-Davis | 05.11.09, 23:44 GMT
Someone just does not understand that the Lam part of Lambeg Drum has no connection with lambs and hence sheep!
This is typical of how the republican mind works. ie with the same intellectual capacity as that of a garden gnome.
What's next? Painting tricolours onto individual ants because they might just happen to be protest ants? Ha Ha Ha
Posted by man dingo | 05.11.09, 23:31 GMT
As posted by Colin 05.11.09, 11:59 GMT.
The painting of IRA, we haven't gone away you know and the hanging of a Tricolour in this farmers property make this sectarian. .............. Oh and almost forgot the non-sectarian GAA flag.
Another incident in series of sectarian intimidation for this family, yet most choose to laugh or crack jokes about sheep.
I doubt it would be that funny if you were that farmer or a member of his family being intimidated on their own property.
Surely wouldn't be as funny if it the shoe was on the other foot and a Nationalist in his place now would it.
Posted by Shaun the Sheep | 05.11.09, 22:31 GMT
maybe the sheep are just trying to discover their Irishness, something a lot of ye out there should do HAHA!! I still say no flags perhaps a more Celtic design whad have been better.
Posted by sean from co down Ireland | 05.11.09, 21:32 GMT
103 Comments