A costume company in Dublin that sold Klu Klux Klan outfits identical to those worn by a group linked to a hate crime in Newtownards have said they will assist police in their ongoing enquiries.
Costumesinireland.ie sold costumes based on the attire worn by the the US hate group until recently, only pulled the product from sale after being contacted by the local press.
The robes are covered with fake blood and have the exact same markings as those worn by a gang in Newtownards who wore the costumes and carried large crucifixes outside an Islamic prayer centre on Saturday 27 October.
The retailer attempted to distance itself from the controversy when asked about the public outrage the images had caused.
“This costume obviously is to laugh, ridicule and condemn this organisation,” said a spokesperson for the retailer, denying the firm could be held responsible for any offence caused. “It’s a satire costume. We sell this costume in other countries and we think that everybody understands this costume is not real, it has fake blood too.”
It went on to condemn what it described as a ‘horrible and deplorable attack’ and said it was no longer selling the costumes in Ireland.
“Our company don’t have the exclusivity to sell this product, because we are sellers only, not manufacturers,” the spokesperson continued. “We can’t know 100% if the costumes are from us but we would like to help in this investigation with the police. We can’t ignore a racist attack”.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland says it is currently investigating the incident as a ‘disgusting and distasteful’ hate crime.
