Arsonists have attacked a primary school in north Belfast for the second time in two weeks.
Two petrol bombs were thrown into the canteen of the St Mary Star of the Sea Primary School in north Belfast, and paint was thrown over the building, causing an estimated Pounds 10,000 worth of damage.
The school had previously been set alight, and sectarian graffiti were painted on the building in the early hours of July 15.
This attack is the latest in a series of serious arson attacks on schools in the Belfast area: Whitehouse Primary in Newtownabbey was destroyed in a fire earlier this month and St Patrick’s College on the Antrim Road was also attacked.
After visiting the schools in the wake of the incidents, Caitriona Ruane, education minister, appealed for the violence against schools to end. “Many schools are at the heart of their communities and these attacks not only hit the school population, but the wider community,” she said.
“Attacks on schools serve no purpose whatsoever but cause disruption for children and the loss of important school work. They are an unnecessary drain on education budgets that are already stretched and must stop immediately.” mr.