A news release from the town of Hillsborough said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out.
The news release said an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: “Nazi Republicans leave town or else.”
The state GOP director, Dallas Woodhouse, said no one was injured, but a security alert was being sent to party offices around the state.
On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint by late afternoon.
Another business owner discovered the damage on Sunday morning. Local police are investigating alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Woodhouse said people sometimes work after hours, and he felt lucky that no one was there at the time.
“They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed,” he said.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, tweeted: “The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe.”
Tom Stevens, the mayor of the town about 40 miles north-west of Raleigh, condemned the act in a statement.
“This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it wilfully threatens our community’s safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation,” said Stevens, a Democrat.
The Rev William J Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, also condemned the act. Barber told the Associated Press on Sunday: “While vigorous debate on issues is acceptable, we in the NAACP denounce any kind of violence that is perpetrated toward our citizens or any political party.”
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Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, which includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.
The GOP office is located at a retail complex along the interstate several miles from the town’s historic square.
The Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump, has stoked concern about the forthcoming election, calling for his opponent, Hillary Clinton, to be jailed and on Sunday repeating claims the vote will be rigged against him.
Many observers have expressed worries that supporters of Trump may intimidate voters or refuse to accept the result. Trump himself has courted controversy by appearing to hint at the assassination of Clinton.
The attack in North Carolina, however, was against Republican property.
Hillsborough mayor Stevens said: “I believe I speak for the overwhelming majority of people … acts like this have no place in our community.”
