Black church burned to the ground by Donald Trump supporter

An African-American church has been set on fire and daubed with ‘Vote Trump’ in what’s being treated as a racially motivated attack.

The blaze destroyed the church in Greenville, Mississippi, which serves a community of 35,000 people.

Mayor Errick Simmons said described the attack on Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church as ‘a hateful and cowardly act.’

Fire chief Ruben Brown said the 100-year-old church was badly damaged and that the fire was started deliberately.

An investigation into the fire as a possible hate crime was under way by local, state and federal officials.

‘This matter is a direct assault on people’s right to freely worship,’ said Simmons.

Police chief Delando Wilson said investigators are ‘currently interviewing one person of interest,’ to see if he had any involvement.

Wilson declined to give any further details in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation. ‘We are still in the preliminary stages to try and determine the motive of this crime,’ Wilson added. ‘We want to investigate every angle to determine why this act was committed.’

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, described the church as ‘a cornerstone of this majority-Black community located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.’

She also expressed concern that the church was vandalized so close to the November 8 presidential election.

‘The toxic rhetoric of this election cycle continues to cast a dark cloud over this election cycle,’ Clarke said.