UKIP Member Reports 'IRA Death Threats', Pledges to Continue

A UKIP representative and Council Candidate Alan Lewis has claimed that he has received death threats from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) after his election material was defaced with the letters ‘RIP’ under his face.

Mr Lewis’s incidents were reported on the UKIP Northern Ireland website this morning, alongside a picture of him with the latest vandalism that contained the words ‘IRA’ and a sniper’s crosshairs drawn over his face.

Lewis is a UKIP candidate for Slieve Croob, around 22 miles south of Belfast in Northern Ireland. He “has vowed that a number of recent death threats will not stop him from helping and representing people across the area.”

Mr Lewis said: “Ever since I was appointed the party’s representative in the area, I have sought to help everyone irrespective of community background and tradition. During that time, I have received a number of death threats and abusive messages. However, there has been a noticeable increase over recent weeks.

“I’ve had a number of election posters go missing in the middle of the night. But a more sinister development is the defacing of 2 posters with RIP added beside my name. And on one poster, somebody has even gone so far as to place a set of crosshairs over my face. I’d like to thank the men who removed the posters and brought them to my attention.

“I’ve no doubt it is the intention of the perpetrators to intimidate me from standing in this week’s council elections. However, they will not succeed. I remain fully committed to the people of Slieve Croob and to working with them to address those issues which matter most to them. It is clear that some elements within the area feel threatened by the arrival of national pro Union party they feel threatened by a unionist who refuses to simply fall into line. These recent incidents will not phase me in any way, I will continue to oppose Down Councils discriminatory Irish language policy I will continue to ask difficult questions surrounding unapproved republican shrines I won’t be going away you know.”