SECTARIAN graffiti scrawled across a wall in Renfrew has sparked a furious reaction.
Renfrewshire North and West MSP Natalie Don was among those to blast the culprit behind the message next to homes in Glasgow Road.
'Kill all Taigs' was painted on the wall, accompanied by the words 'Renfrew Bears.'
The graffiti was later removed by Renfrewshire Council after images of the vandalism were circulated on social media.
New graffiti in the middle of Glasgow Road, Renfrew. @GavNewlandsSNP @NatalieDon_ Not great! pic.twitter.com/05vowruY22
— Mark Lawson 🏴🇪🇺 (@Born2beSlicker) February 26, 2023
Ms Don told The Gazette: "I was absolutely disgusted to see this graffiti, there is absolutely no place for it or the message it sends.
"I immediately contacted the council to ask for it to be removed and I was pleased to see that this happened relatively quickly.
"Those who are doing this are simply trying to stoke up hatred between communities and end up costing the council and council tax payers money in removing their vile comments.
"I would hope that anyone who knows anything about who is responsible for this would report it to the police."
It is understood that there was a delay in the graffiti being cleaned off due to a disagreement over whether the wall in question was council or private property.
David Scott, director of anti-sectarianism charity Nil by Mouth, believes quicker action is needed in the future to prevent such messages being given such prominence in the local area.
He said: "I appreciate that the council isn't to blame for this incident but what we are prepared to walk past sets the standard we are prepared to live by.
"I think that's an important rule in and out of Renfrewshire, so these types of threats really require a quick response from local authorities to get it sorted out."
David believes that councils should look into providing business owners and community groups with graffiti removal equipment.
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He added: "At the end of the day, the local community has had a hate crime committed against them by some bigoted, ignorant, arrogant, brain-dead moron.
"People are going to pass these messages on the way to work, school and worship, and it brings the whole area down."
In response to the call for local businesses and communities to be provided with graffiti removal equipment, Renfrewshire Council said there would be issues with training and insurance relating to the chemicals used to remove the graffiti.
Anyone with information about the vandalism should call police on 101.
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