Republican News · Thursday 20 July 2000

[An Phoblacht]

Plastic Bullet victims commemorated

A mural at Gardenmore Road in Twinbrook was commissioned by Sinn Féin in the area and was painted by muralist Andrea Redmond. Local woman Eileen Kelly, whose daughter Carol Ann was one of those commemorated, attended the unveiling.

Jim McCabe of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets (UCAPB), whose wife Nora was shot dead with one of these weapons also spoke.

McCabe, while stressing that his group would never advocate the use of plastic bullets, criticised the RUC who in recent weeks adopted a, ``softly, softly'', approach to loyalist violence. ``There is a disparity of treatment by the RUC in their dealings with the nationalist community. In the past when the nationalist community have been involved in public protests, thousands of plastic bullets have been fired, lives lost and hundreds seriously injured.''

Francie Molloy pointed out that in 1981, 30,000 plastic bullets were fired, 16,000 of which were fired in May alone. As well as Carol Ann Kelly, 14-year-old Julie Livingstone from Lenadoon was shot dead by crown forces as she went to the shops. ``No one has ever been charged in connection with these killings,'' said Molloy.


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