SDLP's Attwood joins battle against Felons
By Mick Naughton.
As the RUC vendetta against the Felons Club continues,
their latest ally has turned out to be the SDLP's Alex
Attwood. He was first on his feet to oppose the Felons'
request to have their club licence transferred to a
public house licence at the monthly meeting of Belfast
City Council on Tuesday 3 March.
After months of the application being deferred by North
Belfast unionist David Brown (DUP), the Council was due
to rule on the matter at Tuesday's meeting. At
committee stage three SDLP councillors voted with Sinn
Fein, nine to five in favour of the licence change, and
it was thought that Tuesday's decision would go through
without objections.
However RUC chief Parkes, notorious for his harassment
of republicans, who is behind the campaign against the
Felons, found a surprise ally with the intervention of
SDLP councillor Alex Attwood who opposed the
recommendation by the Divisional Planning Manager.
Attwood was on his feet before Brown or the DUP's Sammy
Wilson could move against the planning committee's
approval and proposed the total rejection of the Felons
request.
Attwood began by admitting he had done a ``minimum
amount of research'' before using in-depth traffic
statistics and road traffic arguments to say the Felons
was not a suitable location to have a pub licence.
After some debate, during which Sammy Wilson
``complimented'' Attwood, the committee vote was
overturned, leaving the planners, who have the power to
overrule any council decision, to re-examine the issue
once more.
In the past year the RUC has carried out heavy raids on
the club and taken away financial records, documents
and a considerable amount of personal money. The homes
of five club workers and a number of club members were
also raided. Last month John Bradley a former secretary
of the club was arrested by heavily armed RUC members
as he supervised a group of children.
Liam Shannon of the Felons management said he was
``totally disgusted'' at the attitude of the SDLP ``and
Alex Attwood in particular''. He accused the SDLP of
``sour grapes''. ``They are using the Felons to get at
republicans in West Belfast,'' he said. ``We are now
moving from being victimised by the RUC to being
victimised by the SDLP.''
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