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Orange County GOP Office Firebombed, Democratic HQ Spray-Painted

Orange County GOP Office
Credit: NC GOP

Updated 10:26 a.m., October 18, 2016

 

The Orange County Democratic Party says someone spray-painted its headquarters in Carrboro on the same day someone set fire to the Republican headquarters in Hillsborough. 

Democratic workers found the words "Death to Capitalism" sprayed on the local campaign office Sunday.

 

Orange County Democratic Party chairman Matt Hughes said he has no reason to believe that the two are connected at this time.

"It's just paint," Hughes said. "There's not a lot of physical damage, but I think that even though physically there wasn't a lot of damage, I think that it unsettles people."

Law enforcement agencies are investigating the attack on the Republican party offices in Orange County.

 

Over the weekend, the Hillsborough office was fire-bombed when a flammable liquid cocktail was thrown through the window of the office. The four-room building was set ablaze. An adjacent building was spray painted with a swastika and the message, “Nazi Republicans get out of town or else.”

 

Both parties are re-evaluating their security measures at local headquarters. Governor Pat McCrory visited the Hillsborough GOP office Monday evening.

 

"I don’t know who did it, but whatever the motive, there is no excuse for it," McCrory said. "There is no motive that justifies this kind of violent act. This is more than vandalism, it is an assault on our democracy."

 

North Carolina Republican Party executive director Dallas Woodhouse called the act one of "political terrorism."

 

“You can’t do anything other than take that as a threat of violence," he said. "So we’ve had to send security precautions out to our counties, to our district office. Our people are really shaken to their core by this." 

 

Other political leaders also reacted to the attack. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton took to Twitter and called the attack "horrific and unacceptable." Her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, also posted to Twitter, blaming the "animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina" on his Twitter account. He said the act happened because he is winning.

 

After the attack, Democrats raised more than $13,000 to reopen the Republican headquarters that were fire-bombed over the weekend. The GoFundMe page set up by local Democrats reached that goal in 40 minutes.

 

Hillsborough police say in a statement they are working with state and federal authorities. As of Monday afternoon, no suspects have been announced in either incident.

 

Jeff Tiberii is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Jeff joined WUNC in 2011. During his 20 years in public radio, he was Morning Edition Host at WFDD and WUNC’s Greensboro Bureau Chief and later, the Capitol Bureau Chief. Jeff has covered state and federal politics, produced the radio documentary “Right Turn,” launched a podcast, and was named North Carolina Radio Reporter of the Year four times.
Will Michaels is WUNC's Weekend Host and Reporter.
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