Black Church in Mississippi Set on Fire; 'Vote Trump' Spray-Painted on Side

A traditionally black church in Mississippi was set on fire Tuesday night and tagged with spray-paint graffiti that read "Vote Trump."

The fire at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville started around 9:15 p.m. local time, Greenville Fire Chief Ruben Brown told the Delta Daily News, and no one was injured in the blaze. The fire damaged the main sanctuary, according to the News.

An FBI statement said its Jackson, Mississippi, division was working with law enforcement to determine if any civil rights crimes were committed.

The city's mayor said it was being investigated as a hate crime.

“This is a direct assault on people’s right to freely worship,” Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons told Talking Points Memo. “We are going to investigate the matter with all deliberate speed and will not rest until the perpetrator is arrested and prosecuted.”

At a press conference later in the day Wednesday, Simmons explicitly tied the crime to race.

"It appears to be a race crime," Simmons said. "It happened in the 50s, it happened in the 60s. It shouldn't happen in 2016."

It was not immediately clear if any suspects have been identified or taken into custody.

A GoFundMe campaign for the church was set up to raise money to repair damage caused by the flames.

This is a developing story. Check back with Patch for updates as they become available.

Main image via GoFundMe; Second image credit: ANGIE QUEZADA, DELTA DAILY NEWS