Republican News · Thursday 22 November 2001

UUP man abstains on Holy Cross

The UUP's Danny Kennedy this week chose to abstain rather than support a Sinn Féin motion of support for the Holy Cross children and their parents. Ironically, Kennedy represents his party on the Assembly's education committee.

On Monday evening, 19 November, a special meeting of the council, called for by council chair Davy Hyland of Sinn Féin, was held to hear a motion on the Holy Cross crisis.

At the meeting, a motion of support for the children and parents was proposed by Sinn Féin councillor Elena Martin and seconded by Sinn Féin councillor Pat McGinn. Other councillors speaking on the motion were Brendan Curran and Charlie Casey.

The council resolved that "to show our total opposition to this blockade this Council will send a cross-party delegation of councillors to visit the school, if invited by the Board of Governors and the parents, to walk the Ardoyne Road with the children and their parents."

The motion was passed with the support of Sinn Féin and SDLP councillors but unionist councillors abstained, including Kennedy.

A vigil was held outside the gates of the Council offices during the meeting by the newly formed Friends of Holy Cross support group to show solidarity with a delegation of parents of the children who were at the meeting.

The support group was formed the previous week in response to the ongoing loyalist blockade of children attending the Catholic primary school.

On Saturday, members of the group held a picket on Hill Street Newry and handed out leaflets to the public to highlight the plight of the schoolchildren. People out shopping took time out to ask questions and huge interest was shown in any future events planned by the group. Many people commented that it was appropriate that every area should make their feelings known and show some form of public support for the children. Mothers holding their own children by the hand said that they found it impossible to imagine how they would cope if someone was threatening their children every day. Everyone had huge admiration for the courage and strength shown by the parents in Ardoyne.

Sligo councillors to walk with Holy Cross kids

A delegation comprising members of Sligo County Council has agreed to a proposal to travel to Belfast to walk to school with the parents and children of Holy Cross Girls Primary school in an act of solidarity and to witness at first hand the true extent of the sectarian abuse that these young children have to endure.

Welcoming the decision of Sligo County Council to support his proposal, Sinn Féin Councillor Sean MacManus said it was "a very welcome development.

"It is of vital importance that the children and parents of Holy Cross know that their plight is not being ignored by politicians in this state. It is essential that other councils do as we are about to do and show solidarity with the children, show then their plight is not being ignored and show them that we will continue to highlight and publicise at every opportunity what they have to endure.

Bantry motion passed

Commissioner Anne O Leary was successful in having a motion passed at the monthly meeting of Bantry Town Commissioners in Cork calling for an immediate end to the loyalist blockade of the Holy Cross girls primary school.