The arsonists involved in Monday night's attack on Our Lady's Church at Harryville removed a heavy metal grille and smashed reinforced glass to make their entry.

Hate crimes legislation is working effectively in the USA and serious consideration to such legislation in Northern Ireland to underline the outrage which most people feel towards such attacks

Sean Neeson

They then piled up pews and carpet inside the church and set fire to them.

Mayor James Curry said there seemed to be a pattern emerging of attacks on Catholic schools and churches in the town.

"I feel very sorry for the people of Harryville. Their area gets tarnished because of attacks on the chapel.

"Yet they're decent, hard working people and want nothing to do with the attacks," he said.

James Curry: Bad day for Ballymena

"It's another bad day in the history of Ballymena. I sincerely hope it won't damage community relations."

Alliance Party leader and local assembly member Sean Neeson described the upsurge in sectarian attacks on churches and Orange Order halls as hate crimes.

"Hate crimes legislation is working effectively in the USA and serious consideration to such legislation in Northern Ireland to underline the outrage which most people feel towards such attacks," he said.

Education minister Martin McGuinness said he was saddened by the attack on the secondary school.

"Those involved in this type of activity need to sit back and reflect on where they want this to take us. It's not the future people voted for."

The Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor, Patrick Walsh, paid tribute to priests and churchgoers for remaining committed to promoting good community relations despite such attacks.

Picket mounted

Loyalist protesters mounted a weekly picket outside the County Antrim church during Saturday evening Mass between September 1996 and May 1998.

The protests were called off shortly after the Good Friday Agreement received 71% support in a referendum.

The picket was mounted because of loyalist anger over nationalist objections to a march by the Protestant Orange Order through nearby Dunloy.

The attack is the latest in a series on Catholic churches and comes in the wake of recent unrest over the controversial Drumcree marching dispute.

There have also been attacks on a number of halls belonging to the Protestant Orange Order.

Ligoniel Orange hall was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night. It had been damaged in an arson attack on the morning of 12 July, the climax of the marching season.

Halls in Counties Tyrone and Down were also attacked in the past week.