A candidate in the Northern Ireland election speaks of her suffering after being “squeezed by the throat” after being attacked by three men while campaigning.
Hannah Kenny, a spokeswoman for People Before Profit, said she was attacked on Saturday (April 23rd) while distributing election material at an East Belfast mansion.
The party condemned the attack on their candidate, saying it had suffered a “horrific ordeal” and had been subjected to both physical and verbal assault.
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Speaking about her ordeal, Hannah said: “I do not want to dwell on the details of the incident, except to say that I am deeply upset by the level of aggression shown to me, because I was simply delivering election materials.
“The fact that these men told me that I was identified by the posters of the election campaign in the area before they continued to attack me is deeply disturbing.
“Unfortunately, there is a minority intention to polarize these elections along familiar lines; we saw other election candidates being attacked and threatened, with damaged posters in various places. These are not just attacks on people like me, they are attacks on a democratic process designed to take us back. “
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A statement from the party said: “Hannah was approached by three men who subjected her to a horrific ordeal, both sectarian and misogynistic in nature. They blocked her way by grabbing her arm and throat before describing the violence in detail. which they will subject her to if she returns to the area.
“In the elections we are running for all over Belfast, people are outraged before the win that one of our hard-working representatives had to suffer such a traumatic incident. Our members in East Belfast and throughout the city stand in solidarity with Hannah and want to make it clear that we will not be intimidated. “
Gary Carroll of People Before Profit added: “Our full support and solidarity is with Hannah after this shameful incident. Hannah is a hard-working and committed representative, and I deeply regret that she had to endure such a despised and cowardly attack.
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“I am also extremely proud of Hannah’s work in proving a voice for working class politics in East Belfast. I would urge everyone to reject this kind of bandit and fight to leave it in the past. “
PSNI Chief Inspector Mark Roberts said; “The Northern Ireland Police Service is committed to doing its utmost to ensure that all candidates can participate fully in the forthcoming elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly without harassment, intimidation and other forms of crime.
“We have contacted political parties to proactively offer briefings and information to candidates on crime prevention and personal safety, and our staff will continue to offer support and advice at the local level.
“Investigations are ongoing and we are currently treating this as a hate crime. We turn to anyone who has witnessed this incident or who has a camera or mobile device, or any information that might help, to contact us at 101, quoting reference number 658 of 30 / 04/22. The information can also be made available to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the strength to speak up and stop crime. “
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