// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
No windows and steel doors - life at NI's 'most-attacked Orange hall'
Leigh Gerrow says Orange Order members in Rasharkin are frustrated by ongoing attacks on their hall
Orangemen whose hall has been targeted dozens of times in sectarian attacks say the fear and intimidation has damaged their community and left them unable to properly celebrate their heritage and culture.
Rasharkin Chosen Few Orange lodge believes its hall is "the most-attacked Orange hall in Northern Ireland" and says there have been 51 incidents in 30 years.
Police recorded 17 hate crimes in the past year against Orange and Apprentice Boys' halls across Northern Ireland - an increase on the previous two years and the second highest in five years.
Rasharkin Orangemen say they have lost confidence in police, particularly after CCTV showed a patrol car driving over freshly-painted graffiti.
Leigh Gerrow, a member of the lodge, said attacks ranged from graffiti to attempts to set fire to the hall and meant the building now had steel doors and no windows, with members unable to park their cars outside in case they were attacked.
"Sometimes you need to take a step back and realise that's not a normal way to be living," he said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it had a "robust and comprehensive policing plan in place" to prevent further attacks in Rasharkin and it condemned sectarianism, intimidation and hate crime.
Gerrow said the attacks on the County Antrim lodge were "an attempt to incite, intimidate, threaten and at times provoke a reaction as well".
"It's not just an attack on an Orange hall, it's an attack on what that hall represents and what it stands for and the community that it represents," he said.