Garvaghy residents flee loyalist attacks
By Laura Friel
Catholic families were forced to flee after a loyalist mob attacked
their Garvaghy Road homes. Around 250 loyalists gathered at the
bottom end of Garvaghy Road at around 7.15pm on Tuesday. The mob,
many of which were wearing masks and carrying cudgels, attacked a
number of homes and vehicles.
One woman resident was struck by a loyalist wielding an iron bar and
a 16-year-old youth required hospital treatment after he was struck
on the head by loyalists.
Families living in the immediate vicinity of the loyalist `protest'
were forced to flee from their homes in fear of serious attack.
Despite the fact that the RUC was called at 7.15pm by a number of
residents asking for assistance, the RUC failed to respond
immediately. They arrived fifty minutes later at 8.05pm.
The RUC, who came dressed in full riot gear, were described by local
people as ``hostile'' even towards the nationalist families, many of
whom included young children, who had fled their homes in fear.
RUC hostility even extended to the media. A UTV cameraman was
unceremoniously pushed aside. The RUC made no attempt to disperse or
arrest members of the loyalist crowd who remained to taunt and
intimidate nationalist residents for a further three hours.
Tuesday's incident follows a similar `protest' by loyalists three
weeks ago on Tuesday 12 January. Local people have described the
protests as orchestrated by the DUP and people connected to loyalist
paramilitaries.
Paul Berry, DUP Assembly member, and ironically a member of the
victims' commission, was present at both loyalist gatherings.
Nationalist families were only able to return to their homes at
11.45pm, after almost five hours of intimidation. Tuesday's attacks
follow a number of incidents over the weekend in which Catholic homes
and vehicles were attacked with stones and half an inch thick iron
bolts fired by catapults. Speaking after the attacks, Garvaghy
Residents' spokesperson Breandan Mac Cionnaith said that once again
the incident called into question policing in Portadown. He accused
the RUC of acting as facilitators of illegal loyalist protests. ``A
crowd wearing masks and carrying cudgels is not engaged in peaceful
protest,'' he said.
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