Republican News · Thursday 25 October 2001

Latest UDA Holy Cross death threat

Using the cover name of the Red hand Defenders, the UDA this week extended its death threat to include more pupils and parents of Holy Cross Primary School.

On Tuesday morning, a number of parents at Holy Cross School were informed by the RUC that both themselves and their children had been threatened with "military action" by the Red Hand Defenders.

The RHD threatened action against children and parents if they walked along the Ardoyne Road to Holy Cross Girls Primary School.

"Everyone knows that this threat, in reality, originates from the UDA, an organisation which has been responsible for hundreds of bomb and gun attacks on nationalists in North Belfast this year," said Sinn Féin councillor Margaret McClenaghan.

"This cowardly threat against schoolchildren and their parents must be lifted immediately. I call upon anybody with influence within the unionist community to do all in their power to have this threat lifted. I would also call on nationalists to remain extremely vigilant."

Meanwhile, Martin Monaghan of the Right to Educatin Group has accused the RUC of preventing parents whose children are due to sit the 11+ from attending a meeting at the school on Wednesday afternoon.

Monaghan said: "It is important that parents and children attend this meeting. Our children are already under enormous stress from the loyalist blockade without now encountering a further blockade from the RUC.

"This is the second time the RUC have blocked the parents from going to the school to attend 11+ meetings. The issue is clear; no one, loyalist or RUC have the right to prevent us from going to school."