Catholic families bombed in Ballynahinch
BY PEADER WHELAN
Two Catholic families living in the Loughside area of
Ballynahinch, County Down, were the target of sectarian bombers
in the early hours of Thursday morning, 1 February.
The attacks occurred just a week after human rights campaigner,
Fr Joe McVeigh, warned Dublin government officials that it was
``only a matter of time'' before loyalists would be using pipe
bombs in Ballynahinch.
The bombings, the latest in a sustained series of attacks on
nationalists in Ballynahinch, ``could have killed or badly injured
any of 11 people living in the houses'', explained local Sinn Féin
representative Francie Braniff.
According to Braniff, the devices were set to go off ten minutes
apart, with the first designed to explode and draw neighbours out
so they would be caught in the blast of the second bomb hidden
beneath a neighbour's car just two doors away.
Mrs Madine, whose house was the first to be bombed, said the
family was asleep at the time the explosion occurred but believes
the attack on her home was ``indiscriminate'' and, ``without
reason''.
Neighbours also criticised the RUC attitude to those targeted.
One man who spoke to An Phoblacht said that when the RUC arrived
on the scene, after the bombs went off, they refused to search
under the car where the explosion occurred. One RUC man told the
owner, ``sure you looking under it is as good as me looking under
it''.
Meanwhile, speaking to An Phoblacht, Fr Joe McVeigh, who the
previous week led a delegation to meet representatives of the
Department of Foreign Affairs from Dublin, said the attack showed
that ``loyalists in Ballynahinch are determined to continue their
campaign of violence against nationalists''.
The meeting with the Dublin officials, which included residents
from Ballynahinch and Sinn Féin representatives Aiden Carlin,
Mick Murphy and Francie Braniff, was to present the consultative
document Charter for Change to Dublin.
``The document is designed to open up debate on the amount of
sectarianism in Ballynahinch and appeals to unionists,
politicians and community workers as well as nationalists to work
together to end `the nationalist nightmare in Ballynahinch,'' said
McVeigh.
The delegation also presented the Dublin officials with a dossier
of up to 30 loyalist attacks on nationalists, their homes and
property over the past seven months.
Francie Braniff said that a copy of the charter would be sent to
``residents, community groups, voluntary organisations, statutory
agencies, religious leaders and key figures in the town.
``We want the Charter to begin a process that will begin with
measures designed to facilitate political expression in the town.
Equality of treatment must be realised. There must be effective
monitoring of equality of opportunity in employment in
Ballynahinch.''
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