Neo-nazi '14 words' painted on cross

A racist slogan frequently used by white supremacists and neo-Nazis has been stencilled onto the base of the cross on top of Bray Head.

The words Czternascie Stow in Polish, followed by their English translation '14 Words' are painted clearly in black capitals in a prominent place at the popular sight-seeing spot. The fourteen sinister words of the original slogan are 'we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.'

The credo was coined by the late David Lane, an American neo-Nazi and founding member of the far-right white supremacist organisation The Order'. The words were inspired by a longer passage in Adolf Hitler's memoir and manifesto, Mein Kampf'. Sometimes the Fourteen Words, often stylised as 14W, is spray-painted or used to deface property in order to mark turf in prisons and other urban areas.

The Town Clerk, Christine Flood, has said that Bray Town Council had not been aware of this issue but would now treat it as an emergency and have the offensive graffiti removed straight away.

'We do have a contractor who goes to the cross at regular intervals,' she remarked. 'But it's a very big job in terms of access and equipment.'

Bray man, Seamus Connor, who lives in the vicinity of Bray Head, is appalled by the defacement of the local landmark, and by the racially-prejudiced motivation behind it.

'It's an absolute disgrace that in such a cosmopolitan society people would still think in this way,' said Seamus. 'It should be removed immediately.'

He added, however, that he didn't think the slogan represented the views of the majority of people living in Bray.

Bray People