HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Hillsborough police are investigating after the Republican Party headquarters was vandalized with graffiti and damaged with a flammable material thrown through the front window.
WTVD reported that it happened at 347 Ja-Max Drive and was discovered Sunday morning by another business owner. No injuries were reported.
The graffiti included a swastika and the words, “Nazi Republicans leave town or else,” according to officials, which was spray-painted in black on the side of an adjacent building.
Authorities said the flammable substance ignited inside the building, burning furniture and damaging the interior of the building. It was contained in a bottle thrown through the window.
“Whether you are Republican, Democrat, or Independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy,” said Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party, according to a press release. “Whether the bomb was meant to kill, destroy property, or intimidate voters, everyone in this country should be free to express their political viewpoints without fear for their own safety. We will be requesting additional security at all Republican Party offices and events between now and Election Day to ensure the safety of our activists, volunteers, and supporters.”
Both Hillary Clinton and Hillary for NC, supporters of Democratic presidential nominee, tweeted Sunday afternoon, calling the incident “horrific and unacceptable.”
The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 16, 2016
Thinking of everyone at the @NCGOP after the horrific and unacceptable attack on the Orange County HQ. Grateful all are safe.
— Hillary for NC (@HillaryforNC) October 16, 2016
Hillsborough police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are investigating. There is no word on any suspects.
“The office itself is a total loss,” Woodhouse told the Charlotte Observer “The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been.”