Republican News · Thursday 10 April 2003

Sectarian attacks during Belfast pro-war rally

Pro-war demonstrators attacked a number of business premises and individuals during a pro-Bush and pro-war rally in Belfast city centre on Monday night.

Two Catholic pubs and a taxi company were targeted and passers-by were assaulted by a group who had marched from the loyalist Shankill area through the largely nationalist Castle Street and King Street area of the city. Passing vehicles were also attacked.

The 300-strong pro-Bush and pro-war rally had been organised by a senior member of the Unionist party, Sir John Gorman, a former British soldier. Ian Paisley, leader of the DUP, was pictured at the rally standing alongside a woman carrying a placard which bore the slogan, Baghdad, Basra, Crossmaglen? The apparent implication of the placard was to urge the British Army to 'deal' with republican areas of the North (Crossmaglen) in a similar way to Basra.

Meanwhile, a small group of loyalists, including members of the UDA, waved British flags and chanted anti-Catholic and pro-war slogans on the fringes of the large anti-war protest at Hillsborough Castle organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the anti-war movement.

There are also reports of UDA members and individuals associated with Combat 18 'trawling' Belfast in cars looking for anti-war protesters who could be attacked. Combat 18 is an extreme right-wing British fascist organisation with links to loyalist paramilitaries. Extreme loyalist websites were also urging attacks on anti-war protesters.

On Tuesday at approximately 1.45pm, riot police arrested a number of demonstrators who had sat down on one lane of the roadway outside Belfast City Hall during a trade union rally against the presence of the US President in Ireland. Protesters complained about the behaviour of some of the riot police. In particular, several witnesses told the Pat Finucane Centre that one officer dragged a young woman off the roadway by the hair.