Trimble fails First Minister obligation
David Trimble's response last week to a request for a meeting with
the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) that such a meeting
would ``not be helpful'' showed ``contempt for the community'', said GRRC
spokesperson Breandan MacCionnaith.
Following Trimble's 90 minute meeting on Tuesday with Portadown
Orangemen, Trimble has also been accused of failing in his obligation
as First Minister to deal with issues in order to promote equality.
The RUC has also been accused of failing to respond to Loyalists who
terrorised shoppers in Portadown on Monday afternoon. Thirty
Loyalists targeted individual shoppers with sectarian abuse as they
went about their business on Woodhouse Street at 3pm. A mother with
two toddlers and a young Catholic teenager were abused and taunted
with chants about the death of young nationalist Robert Hamill, who
was kicked to death by Loyalists yards from an RUC patrol in the town
less than two years ago.
One witness to Monday's incident said, ``the Loyalists rampaged
through the shopping centre and turned on individuals. There were
grown men with the gang. There were some security guards there but
they failed to intervene and just stood by and watched. The RUC
didn't turn up for at least 15-20 minutes and by then the Loyalists
had dispersed back through the shopping centre.''
A similar incident involving 12-20 Loyalists occurred in the same
area on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile British minister Adam Ingram has revealed that following
the introduction of the new Public Order Act only 12 people have been
prosecuted, and none successfuly for their involvement in the siege
of Garvaghy Road, the almost nightly illegal Loyalist gatherings and
attacks on the homes and businesses of nationalist residents, and the
countless infringements of Parades Commission restrictions by
Loyalists and Orange Order supporters.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)