Loyalist attacks designed to provoke IRA
Sinn Féin MP Martin McGuinness has accused unionist politicians
of creating the conditions and encouraging loyalist murder gangs
in their campaign of intimidation against the nationalist and
republican community.
``These attacks and threats are designed to provoke the IRA into
retaliation,'' he said. ``It is no coincidence that the upsurge in
loyalist attacks and threats directed at republicans and
nationalists has coincided with David Trimble's agenda to
collapse the political institutions as spelt out in his letter to
the Ulster Unionist Council last October. Both are designed to
put the republican peace strategy under pressure. They will not
succeed.
``We thought that loyalists had stooped as low as they could
during the blockade of Harryville Church but the political vacuum
created by David Trimble in undermining of the institutions and
the British governments' failure to check his actions has
encouraged them to sink to even lower depths.
``Their cowardly sectarian campaign has now spread to targeting
young children, firstly in preventing pupils from going
unhindered to school at Holy Cross in Ardoyne and now underage
GAA members in South Derry wishing to participate in sporting
activities.
``The UDA using another of its flags of convenience - the
so-called SLPV - has forced one business in South Derry engaged
in transporting children to GAA activities to close. Other
businesses have similarly been threatened without a whimper of
censure from Unionist politicians.
``While I would encourage everyone to be vigilant and to take
precautions against such threats and attacks it is imperative
that communities do not allow themselves to become paralysed by
paranoia. I would ask the many decent protestant and unionist
people who live in these areas to show solidarity and support for
their nationalist and republican neighbours by letting it be
known that there is no support for this activity.''
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