Four privately owned vehicles were destroyed by fire in city centre car parks
on night of Thursday, 11 July. Among these were a camper van owned by a French
couple who were holidaying in the Derry area. An articulated lorry was hijacked
and set of fire at the bottom of the flyover which enters Rossville Street from
Bishop Street and Abercorn Road. This vehicle remained in place until a clear
up operation in the early hours of Sunday night/Monday morning.
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"despite the intense provocations which they are facing at the hands of the RUC I would appeal to people not to take their anger out on the property of the citizens of Derry. If nationalists allowed themselves to be drawn into the orgy of looting practised by the loyalists over the past week, the British Government would use the scenes to hide its responsibility".In response to a Sinn Féin request local publicans closed their premises at 6 pm. as a mark of respect to Dermot McShane and in an attempt to reduce the possibility of confrontation between local youths and the RUC/British Army. Despite this, further confrontations occurred on Saturday night. Cars and vans were hijacked and set on fire and local youths used a hijacked bread van to strengthen barricades across William Street and Rossville Street. A number of youths threw petrol bombs onto the roof of the Post Office sorting office at the corner of Little James and Great James Streets. More petrol bombs caused further damage to the sorting office building causing serious disruption to mail deliveries in and around the city.
The worst damage was the destruction of Jackie Mullan's bar and the adjoining electrical shop,paint shop and family bakery. The Cleansing Department of Derry City Council estimated that they cleared away over 40 burnt out vehicles after the weekend.
There were also complaints from residents in the Fahan Street area that despite good street lighting, the British Army almost caused a catastrophe by firing flares, one landing beside a family's domestic oil tank. Residents said that there was no trouble in the area when the flares were fired.
Due to riot damage many local people lost their jobs and income. Local family businesses were destroyed.