Republican News · Thursday 29 August 2002

Catholics escape UDA attack

A Catholic family had a lucky escape after UDA gunmen fired two shots through the front door of their house in Glebe Avenue in the predominantly loyalist Harper's Hill estate in Coleraine, County Derry. No one was injured in the sectarian attack, which occurred at around 11pm on Wednesday 21 August.

Sources have told An Phoblacht that there is a direct link between the loyalist attack and the unveiling of a new mural in the Harpers estate commemorating 19-year-old William Campbell, a UDA member who died while handling a pipe bomb behind his home in Winston Way last January.

One resident said Catholics have been leaving the Harpers Hill estate in droves and others were too scared to stay as a result of loyalist attacks. "Three masked UDA men were present during the unveiling of the mural on Sunday 18 August; these murals only cause distress and unease to Catholics that remain here," An Phoblacht was told.

In the past number of years, the Coleraine area, which is at the heart of the UDA's Derry and North Antrim Brigade, has seen an escalation of attacks on Catholics and their homes.

Gildernew slams RUC/PSNI assault

Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Michelle Gildernew, has criticised the RUC\PSNI after they carried out "a brutal assault" on a Caledon man in his Castle Drive home in the early hours of Monday 26 August.

According to Gildernew, the incident arose after the man's son was stopped by the RUC/PSNI who falsely accused him of drinking and driving. The young man, who is in his twenties, was taken to Armagh RUC\PSNI barracks, where he was breathalysed.

The man was released with a caution and told to produce his car documents. However, when he returned home, a number of RUC/PSNI members forced their way into the house and ran upstairs after him.

The man's father, who is in his forties, was woken by the commotion. When he came out to see what was happening, he was met on the stairway by members of the RUC/PSNI, with batons drawn.

Refusing his request to produce a warrant for entering his home, they beat him. To add insult to injury, the man was later charged with assaulting members of the RUC/PSNI. Michelle Gildernew says the man went to his solicitor, who is now dealing with the case.

Gildernew challenged the RUC/PSNI's version of events. "The RUC\PSNI entered the house at 1.05am but the warrant was not applied for until 2.15 am," she said. "This is totally illegal and then to charge an innocent man with assault is absurd."

She called on the SDLP to withdraw from the Policing Board at once. "The SDLP are giving the veneer of respectability to the RUC/PSNI but we all know nothing has changed for nationalists," she said.

RUC/PSNI man lost control

Derry Sinn Féin councillor Billy Page has condemned the actions of the RUC/PSNI in the wake of a hoax bomb alert near the Fountain estate on Saturday 17 August.

A device was thrown from the loyalist Fountain estate into the Catholic Abercorn Road and landed in an area where young children were playing.

"Myself and another Sinn Féin member were in Abercorn Road trying to reach local residents when an RUC/PSNI officer stopped us and seemed to lose control of himself. He insulted, abused and manhandled my party colleague, who is a local resident," said Page.

Councillor Page told An Phoblacht he had come to the area to talk to young people who had gathered and to defuse any tensions which may have arisen when the RUC/PSNI officer ran amok. "These actions could have started a Saturday afternoon riot and I commend the young people for showing restraint in the face of provocation," he said.