Sectarian shooting and intimidation
A young Ardoyne nationalist narrowly escaped a loyalist gun
attack in Ardoyne on Wednesday 16 July.
The sectarian attack came in the early evening when the gunmen
failed to break into a neighbours house. They hopped a fence and
shot through the living room window of the house next door before
speeding off in a car towards the Crumlin Road.
A twenty-one year old man managed to escape through the back of
his house, despite having a broken leg. He was later said to be
shocked but otherwise unhurt.
Neighbours described how the loyalists ignored the presence of
children playing in the immediate vicinity to fire four shots at
the man, in what was evidently a random sectarian attack.
Sinn Fein Councillor Bobby Lavery described the incident as ``the
latest loyalist no-claim no-blame attack on nationalists,'' before
appealing for calm and vigilance.
Meanwhile another loyalist campaign of sectarian harassment
against Catholic families in a Magherafelt housing estate has
culminated in a young couple being advised by the RUC to leave
their home.
Sinn Fein Magherafelt District Council Chairperson Patsy Groogan
spoke to An Phoblacht about the plight of the Catholic families
in Leckagh Drive.
He confirmed that the harassment had escalated over the past two
years, with many Catholic families being intimidated out of the
estate.
One young couple have been informed by the RUC that their lives
are in danger. The couple recently had paint sprayed over their
car, and `LVF' daubed on their house. Following RUC advice to
move, the Housing Executive fitted grilles to the couple's house,
as well as other houses.
Groogan stated ``the harassment is not just confined to loyalist
and Union Jack flags, and red, white and blue kerbs-stones, but
street lights around nationalist homes being smashed, and windows
smashed. The area is very tense and I urge nationalists to be
vigilant.''
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