Republican News · Thursday 27 March 2002

Unionist paramiltaries gear up for the summer

There are growing fears within nationalist communties throughout the North that unionist paramilitaries are already attempting to heighten tensions in a run-up to the Orange marching season.

Nationalist homes on Alliance Avenue in North Belfast came under sustained attack for the second weekend in a row when unionist paramilitaries bombarded homes with bricks, bottles, rocks, and large pieces of slate, metal bars, and bolts.

Trouble began without warning or provocation in the early evening of Sunday last. Fearful parents rushed outside to protect their young children as a seemingly endless barrage of debris sailed over a three-storey high "peaceline" wall from the unionist Glenbryn estate.

One woman was horrified when she emerged to find her two-year-old sitting on her toy bicycle in the front garden while bricks and bottles struck the ground around her.

"Last year was the same," said the woman. "You never got her out here. But with the start of the good weather recently, I put her toys out, her wee bike and all. I was inside for only a minute when I heard something hit the door. I came out thinking it was a child kicking a ball."

The projectiles were lobbed so powerfully and from such a height that they even managed to damage vehicles and homes on the opposite side of Alliance Avenue. The attack lasted for several hours and nationalist residents report that they also heard at least six shots being fired from the Glenbryn area.

PUP man Billy Hutchinson denies the claim. Hutchinson blames republicans for firing the shots, saying the reports "just add insult to injury" and that the shots were fired from the nationalist Ardoyne estate.

But Sinn Féin's Margaret McClenaghan, who had actually been on the scene that afternoon, is sure that the recent attacks are part of a coordinated attempt by unionist paramilitaries to stoke sectarian tensions in interface areas.

"Nothing was thrown from Alliance," says McClenaghan. "The shooting came from Glenbryn after sustained stoning and people are very concerned and very angry.

"When the UDA issued their ceasefire statement we said that we would judge it by their actions on the ground. Since then the UDA have involved themselves in a number of incidents. In the past week we have seen attacks in North Belfast, West Belfast and East Belfast, and a few weeks ago unionists attacked homes in the Lower Ormeau area.

"It is now apparent to all how serious the UDA was about their ceasefire and what is particularly worrying is what appears to be a co-ordinated upsurge in unionist paramilitary activity throughout Belfast."

One nationalist mother told An Phoblacht that she is unable to allow her young daughter to play outside at all anymore.

"She is not safe in the back garden and she is not safe in the front either. The window of her bedroom was shattered on Sunday. She was in her bed sleeping when it happened. I heard the smash and the breaking glass and I heard her squealing. I ran to the room, afraid of what I would find. It took me an hour to calm her. She was really frightened.

"During the trouble last year she had gotten so used to the attacks on our home that she would actually hear the noise and say, 'Mummy, bold boys, throwing stones, bold boys'. She was just over a year old, just starting to walk. It was one of her first sentences.

"You never see any kids out in the street playing or out in their gardens. The young ones are always kept in, and trying to keep them in is difficult."

Residents who have asked the Housing Executive to relocate them for their family's safety have been told there are people in greater need than they are.

"We first applied to be relocated more than a year ago," said one nationalist resident. "Unionists who lived in the abandoned homes directly on the other side of the wall also asked to be moved. A year later they are gone but we are still waiting. And those empty houses are where the attacks on our homes are coming from."

"The Housing Executive doesn't live here," added another resident angrily. "This is a lovely street, but no one can enjoy it when it's like this. The weather turned nice, kids wanted out and then this has started again. You can't go out. You can't sit in your garden and enjoy the sunshine."

"You can't leave your kids alone for a second", said one young mother, "You have to watch what's going on, are they alright. You don't even know if you're going to be safe in your own house at night.

"The 'police' arrive, look around for a few minutes and leave again. It's the same with the local media. You couldn't pay them to take an interest. They don't even bother to come out anymore."

other woman remarked that the recent events reminded her of days she hoped were long past.

"It's just like the start of the troubles," she said. "If I go to make a cup of tea, my daughter will say to me, 'Mummy, don't put the lights on'. I can remember my own mother saying that to me when the troubles first broke out - don't turn on the light."