Republican News · Thursday 11 October 2001

Boy who played with bomb has lucky escape

A seven-year-old boy could have been killed when he played with a loyalist bomb he found in the grounds of Swatragh GAA club on Sunday 7 October.

Club chairperson Paul McCormack said the boy picked up the device and was swinging it around when he was spotted by an adult, who took it off him.

The incident happened at about 5pm on Sunday 7 October during a match between Swatragh's Michael Davitt's and Glenullin.

The British Army were called in to defuse the bomb, which was four inches long, soldered at both ends and had a fuse protruding from it.

This is not the first time the club has been targeted by loyalist bombers. In 1988, the clubhouse and community hall were burnt to the ground after an incendiary bomb attack.

d in the last number of months, along with other GAA clubs in County Derry, the club has been subjected to threats from the Red Hand Defenders and South Londonderry Protestant Volunteers.

Increase in complaints against RUC

Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan has disclosed that in the ten months since she took up the post, more than 3,000 people have made complaints against the RUC.

O'Loan revealed the figures while addressing a human rights conference organised by the RUC and held in Belfast last week.

O'Loan confirmed that her office had received some 4,146 allegations from 3,275 complaints in the ten months. "There is a demand for openness, transparency and independence in the investigation of allegations of misconduct by the police," she said. O'Loan added that people had now "gone beyond" accepting investigation by the RUC of the RUC.

Flags raise tension in Kilkeel

The flying of loyalist flags in the County Down village of Kilkeel is heightening sectarian tensions, but nationalists opposed to the flags are being accused of stirring up the situation by Ulster Unionist councillor Henry Reilly.

At the heart of the recent controversy is a flagpole flying a Union Jack, an Orange Order flag and an 'Ulster' flag which was erected in Kilkeel just days before an Ancient Order of Hibernians march in August.

Local nationalists say the flagpole was erected in an attempt to heighten tensions ahead of the nationalist parade and is situated in the centre of the town. A second flagpole has since been erected.

Warning nationalists against pushing the issue, Reilly threatened that loyalists and unionists would be most likely to increase the amount of flags and paraphernalia. "Republicans cannot tolerate the fact that there is a thriving Protestant community in the Mournes," he said. "They can erect memorials and flags all over the place, but when Protestants do it they kick up a fuss."

Army harassment in Mid-Ulster

Sinn FÈin Mid-Ulster MP Martin McGuinness has expressed concern about the increasing number of complaints the party's representatives are receiving about British Army and RUC activity in the South Derry area over the past few weeks.

McGuinness was particularly critical of what he described as "the Crown forces' campaign of harassment that is being directed towards Magherafelt district councillor Patsy Groogan and other residents of the nationalist Moneyneany and Fivemilestraight areas.

"There has been a huge upsurge in British Army and RUC activity in nationalist areas of South Derry while loyalist paramilitaries continue their pipe bomb campaign against the local population," said McGuinness.

He accused the British government of failing the Good Friday Agreement and the people who voted for it, most noticeably with its position on policing and its failure to begin dismantling its war machine in Ireland but also on issues of equality and human rights.

Sectarianism still rules soccer

Members of the West Belfast junior soccer team had to flee a 'Junior Cup' match in fear for their lives. The team, playing Foyle Wanderers in the loyalist village of Magheramason in County Tyrone, were subjected to sectarian abuse from fans blowing horns and whistles.

Team manager Paddy McDaid said: "We knew the game was being played in a loyalist area as soon as we arrived. The estate surrounding the pitch was decked out in the usual red, white and blue paraphernalia. The fans had horns and whistles; it was like a scene from the Holy Cross in Ardoyne. The minute the players ran onto the pitch the noise was deafening. They shouted the worst kind of sectarian abuse.

The referee, who also appeared intimidated, asked throughout the match if the team would like to postpone until a later date, but the West Belfast team decided to play on, losing 2-1.

The team have since made an appeal to the North's soccer authorities, the IFA, and have asked local councillor Fra McCann to meet with Minister of Sport Michael McGimpsey to discuss the issue of sectarianism within sport.

Ballynahinch man beaten

A 23-year-old Catholic man was viciously attacked by a mob of loyalists in the town centre of Ballynahinch on 29 September.

The man, who doesn't wish to be identified, was coming out of a local chip shop when the attack occurred.

According to witnesses the man was set upon by the loyalist gang for no reason other than he was a Catholic. He suffered a broken nose, cracked ribs and severe bruising.

Loyalists in Twinbrook threat

A car carrying loyalists was spotted in Twinbrook last week and according to reports An Phoblacht has received, one of the loyalists was seen brandishing a hand gun.

Sinn FÈin's Sue Ramsey warned residents to be "on their guard" and she explained that the car, a blue Corsa, was cruising the area for a while and that the occupants were shouting sectarian abuse at people.

"At one point it was sighted in the Summerhill before turning up in the Juniper area where an eyewitness said one of the men in the car got out and pointed the gun at a young man," said Ramsey.

"I have been told the trigger was pulled and the gun was heard to click but didn't go off. The gunman jumped into the car immediately and it sped off."