McAnespie family harassed
by Dan O'Neill
The family of Aidan McAnespie, shot dead by a British soldier at a
vehicle checkpoint at Aughnacloy, were harassed by paratroopers as
they returned from a mass to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his
death.
British soldiers stopped cars coming from the neighbouring parish of
Clara, in Co Monaghan. Eilish McCabe, Mr Anespie's sister, was one of
the relatives returning from the mass.
She told An Phoblacht, ``there were three landrovers full of
paratroopers observing the cars coming across. We were absolutely
horrified. Nationalists in the community feel more isolated than
ever.
``The paratroopers were aware that we were at Mass for Aidan's
anniversary. They stopped the first couple of cars but there was a
crowd of several hundred there and when they saw this they got back
into their jeeps and took down the numbers of all the cars that went
past.''
This incident is just the latest in a long line of episodes of
harassment by British soldiers against the nationalists in the area -
especially the McAnespie family.
``We are now moving into a peace process but nothing has changed for
us. When are they going to recognise that we are equals? It was very
insensitive and the family is very upset about it,'' Ms McCabe said.
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