RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has sparked plenty of emotion across the country.
Not long after that moment, someone vandalized the North Carolina GOP headquarters on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.
The vandalism was cleaned off the building on Monday morning, but not before the security camera in the corner of the building caught the vandal on cam.
Armed with a backpack and a can of spray paint, the vandal wrote, “if abortion isn’t safe neither r you” on the wall.
“We weren’t terribly surprised to see it, although we were disheartened,” said Jeff Moore, communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party.
Moore said the party has also received other vague threats.
“A lot of voicemails over the weekend issuing threats of the same kind, talking about the Roe v. Wade decision and coming down on Republicans for being pro-life,” he said.
The party is calling for other leaders to denounce that activity and call for civility, but some on the other side of the political aisle say right now emotions and tensions are high.
“It’s hard to predict how people are going to react when a Constitutional protection they’ve had for 50 years is stripped away from them,” Sarah Preston said. She helps run Lillian’s List, a group dedicated to supporting progressive candidates in North Carolina.
Preston said that while her group supports the right to rally, she really wants people to turn their energy into action and vote.
“As much as we are all really angry, and just heartbroken that this has happened, I also think that we are all channeling that energy into supporting our candidates,” Preston said.
And GOP leaders feel the same, vowing that the vandalism won’t set them back.
“We are not phased by this in any way really, but just more committed to electing Republicans to advance the voice and the values that we hold in this party,” Moore said.
Raleigh police confirmed that the vandalism is under investigation but as of Monday said they had no suspects.