Republican News · Thursday 4 July 2002

Trouble after Glengormley parade

After an Orange Order march through Glengormley on the northern outskirts of Belfast last Tuesday, 25 June, loyalists attacked and damaged a number of homes and cars belonging to Catholic residents.

Residents knew nothing about the parade until a large force of RUC/PSNI Land Rovers moved in and began blocking roads at 6.30pm to facilitate the march.

Up to eight bands, including a UVF band from Carrickfergus, marched in the parade, which was allowed to proceed unhindered through the nationalist Church Road area.

They played sectarian tunes and bandsmen shouted sectarian slogans at a group of nationalists who had gathered to protest.

Up to 300 or 400 followers, wearing UVF and UDA T-shirts, followed the parade and were involved in incidents when missiles were thrown at nationalist homes. One woman received a leg injury when she was struck by a stone.

Sinn Féin's Briege Meehan, who sits on Newtownabbey Council, said that "allowing this march to walk up to nationalist homes was a recipe for disaster; the behaviour of those at the parade was also disgraceful and many of them were wearing UVF and UDA shirts."

Sinn Féin councillors Briege and Martin Meehan will lead a delegation of local residents to meet the Parades Commission. Meanwhile, it has emerged that Glengormley Orange arch could be taken down before 12 July, pending the judicial review taken by a number of Glengormley residents.

Vandals attack graves again

For the second time in two weeks, loyalists have desecrated Catholic graves in Carnmoney cemetery. On Friday night 28 June, over 20 graves were vandalised with headstones and celtic crosses smashed or pushed over.

One man, whose son is buried at the cemetery, described the attackers as "scum", saying "my son's grave has been attacked before, it is a disgraceful act, just heartbreaking. People come here to visit their dead and this is what meets them, broken headstones and vandalised graves".

Parish priest Father Dan White said Friday night's attack was the worst he had seen and said that desecrating graves that are sacred to people resulted in society "losing its humanity".

Meanwhile, at a meeting of Newtownabbey council on Monday 1 July, Sinn Féin's Briege Meehan's proposal that security guards be deployed in the cemetery to stop loyalist attacks on headstones received unanimous support.

Two weeks ago, a number of Catholic graves were attacked, including a baby's, while in May the grave of 20-year-old Daniel McColgan, shot dead by loyalists at the beginning of the year, was desecrated.

Nationalist attacked in West Belfast

Two men suffered serious injuries when they were attacked by loyalists as they walked home along the Stewartstown Road on Wednesday night, 26 June. The pair were accosted near the Black's Road interface, where they were stopped by a gang of loyalists in a car.

In the same area, on Sunday morning, 30 June, a number of homes and cars in the Horn Drice area of Lower Lenadoon were attacked. Windows were broken and cars vandalised.

According to Sinn Féin's Gerard O'Neill, there had been a stand-off between a group of loyalists and local nationalist youths earlier on the night but it ended about 4am.

Homes paintbombed and shot at

One Protestant and six Catholic homes in the Cliftondene and Oldpark area of North Belfast were badly damaged after coming under attack by a crowd of loyalists on Wednesday night 26 June.

Well known members of the UDA from North and West Belfast had put up UDA flags in preceding days.

A local resident told An Phoblacht the flags were erected in full view of the RUC/PSNI, who did not intervene. The resident also said that Johnny Adair was among the loyalists.

The homes were attacked with red, white and blue paint and windows were broken as loyalists attacked from the Westland Estate just after midnight.

One resident said: "I was woken by the sound of glass breaking and discovered paint bombs had been thrown through the window and had destroyed furniture in my living room I also heard shots outside my home."

Sinn Féin councillor Eoin Ó Broin said UDA elements were intent on raising sectarian tensions. "To have loyalist come into the area and force their symbols upon this community is wrong. To attack residents due to their objections to these displays of naked sectarianism is appalling," he said.

On Thursday 27 June hundreds of local residents held a meeting, attended by the RUC/PSNI, in the Deanby youth centre, to discuss recent loyalist attacks and activitiy in the area. A number of residents walked out of the meeting after accusing the RUC/PSNI of doing nothing to stop the attacks on their homes.

Teenager viciously attacked in Larne

A 16-year-old Catholic boy remains in hospital after being attacked by loyalists in Larne on Sunday 30 June. The youth suffered a fractured skull and other injuries after he was beaten by a group of loyalists as he made his way home along the Old Glenarm Road, near the town's Seacourt estate.

Over the last two weeks, 18 attacks on nationalist homes and property have been carried out by loyalists determined to drive Catholics out of the Larne area.

"It's ethnic cleansing, there is no other way to decribe it," said one resident. "The UDA want all Catholics out of Larne and they won't be happy until they have achieved it."

Couple escape bomb attack

A nail bomb was thrown at the Bingnian Drive home of a couple in their 40s at around 10pm on Saturday 29 June. The device bounced of the front window and landed in the garden.

A group of teenagers who saw the attack said a carload of men drove into the street and one got out and lobbed the bomb at the house.

The occupants of the house had their windows broken last year in a loyalist attack and details on the family were contained in documents found in a raid on the Stoneyford Orange Hall.