A Stormont candidate was caught by the throat in a horrific “sectarian and misogynistic” attack while campaigning.
Hannah Kenny, representing the People Before Profit party, said the attack took place last Saturday while she was delivering election materials to East Belfast.
She said she was surrounded by three men who grabbed her arm and throat before threatening her with more violence if they saw her again in the area.
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A statement from the party said: “This incident happened on Saturday afternoon, when our party activists were at the door advertising our election message, in an area which – like many working communities on both sides of the sectarian division – suffers from decades of austerity and deprivation at Stormont.
“Hannah was approached by three men who subjected her to a horrific ordeal, both sectarian and misogynistic in nature. They blocked her way, grabbing her arm and throat before describing in detail the violence they would have subjected her to if she returned to the area.
Kenny said she was “deeply upset” by the level of aggression against her and that her men told her she had been identified by election posters.
“Unfortunately, it is the intention of the minority to polarize these elections along familiar lines,” she said. “We have seen other election candidates attacked and threatened, and posters have been damaged in various places.
“These are not just attacks on people like me, they are attacks on the democratic process designed to take us back.”
The Northern Ireland Police Service (PSNI) said a woman was reportedly verbally abused and threatened by three men while distributing election materials.
He added that the report included allegations of physical and verbal assault, including both sectarian and misogynistic comments.
Ch Insp Mark Roberts said: “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 urge anyone who has witnessed this incident or who has any recordings from billboards or mobile devices, or any information that might help, to contact us at 101.”
The news agency PA Media contributed to this report.
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