Three men have been arrested following an assault linked to the flying of a Tricolour on a boat in Co Antrim. Police say they are treating the incident as a sectarian hate crime after a fight broke out on the pier outside a boat club in the Beach Road area of Portballintrae at 7.45pm on Monday. The boat was later set alight and extensively damaged.
Officers attended the scene and arrested the men, aged 25, 30 and 63, on suspicion of a number of offences, including criminal damage and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
One man required hospital treatment for his injuries.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that the 63-year-old was released on bail, while the other two men remain in custody.
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The altercation took place over “a flag that was displayed on a boat”, he said. “We are treating this report as a sectarian-motivated hate crime, and we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and noticed what happened.”
Coleraine and Ballycastle coast guard rescue teams were also tasked to the incident, along with the Northern Ireland fire service who were attending the fire at Portballintrae harbour.
Recreational water-users have been advised to avoid the area due to the risk of pollution from the fuel on board the damaged boat
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