The office of a Catholic pressure group in the Republic of Ireland has been the victim of a “malicious” anthrax scare.
The Iona Institute, which campaigns in favour of the traditional married family and the right to life, was sent a package containing large amounts of white powder.
The package also contained a letter which read: 'Happy Anthrax. To David Quinn and Bit*h O'Brien'.
Quinn is the founder and director of the institute, while “O’Brien” is believed to be a reference to Breda O’Brien, a columnist at The Irish Times who also acts as a spokesman for The Iona Institute.
Quinn said that it was him who opened the package and that the white powder spilled onto his hands. A researcher at Iona, Angelo Bottone was also exposed to the powder.
Two police officers attended the scene, the building was closed and the street cordoned off. A bomb disposal unit from the army was called in for several hours.
Although no explicit motive was stated by the sender, Quinn said it was most likely anti-Catholic prejudice as he and O’Brien are mostly known for their writing on Catholic issues.
Quinn stated, “Down the years, our office has received a lot of hate mail and we have sometimes received physical threats as well. This tends to happen the most when there is an eruption of public anger at the Church over the scandals, or when a major social issue referendum is on.
“The hate mail is almost always anti-Catholic. From time to time, I have been verbally attacked on the street and on one occasion in a city centre pub where I was drinking with friends.”
Despite the threats, Quinn said he and The Iona Institute would continue with its work undeterred.
