People Before Profit have condemned as “outrageous” the vandalism of a party member’s posters in north Dublin.

Memet Uludag, who is originally from Turkey, but has been living in Ireland since 1998 and is now a citizen, is running for a Fingal County Council seat in the Castleknock Ward in this month’s local elections.

He says that as he passed through Blanchardstown Main Street one day last week, he spotted “strange objects” attached to two of his posters. On closer inspection, he discovered that large, raw pieces of bacon had been stuck on to them with tape.

“This was a clearly racially motivated vandalism,” Uludag said.

“The vandals obviously wanted to make a very explicit and clear racist point. Obviously presuming I am a Muslim, they clearly chose the bacon as a symbol of anti-Muslim hate.”

Pig meat has been used by vandals in race-based attacks on Muslim institutions and organizations in a number of other countries.  Consumption of pork is strictly forbidden in Islam.

People Before Profit EU candidate, Councilor Bríd Smith, described the incident as “shocking” and “outrageous.”

TheJournal.ie