The following list of sectarian and other hate-driven incidents and attacks is from 1 through 30 June 2002. The criteria we use for inclusion is based on the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) criteria; if a person/organisation feels that the motivation for an attack against them was sectarian (or racist or homophobic), then it should be counted as such. We rely on a number of sources for our information, but this is by no means comprehensive. If you find incidents that have been left off the list please contact us. A full dossier of sectarian and other hate attacks from January 1999 until April 2002 is available on our website at www.serve.com/pfc.
June 1, Saturday. Two fireworks were thrown into Derry’s Fountain Estate on Saturday afternoon. The fireworks were thrown from the nationalist Long Tower area. A children’s Jubilee celebration was going on at the time of the incident. (DN, CW)
In the Short Strand in East Belfast, loyalists in Cluan Place subjected nationalist residents to a "concentrated barrage" of stones, ball bearings, marbles and chrome nuts fired from catapults. Windows were broken. Some petrol bombs were also thrown. Loyalists threw stones and fired ball bearings at people attending mass in St. Matthews Chapel. Later, bearings were fired from the loyalist side from 8pm into the early hours of Sunday morning, through streets of Vulcan Street, Vulcan Gardens, Vulcan Close, St. Matthews Court and Strand Walk.(CW)
June 2, Sunday. According to community workers, a group of Fountain residents were attacked at Hawkin Street in Derry. The nationalist attackers, grown men, allegedly wielded hammers and batons. (DN, CW, LS)
In East Belfast, attacks continued from the loyalist Cluan Place into Clandeboye Gardens and Clandeboye Drive. (CW)
A number of petrol bombs were thrown into the Fountain Estate from the nationalist Bishop Street area. (DN, CW, BBC, LS)
Three east Belfast Protestants — believed to have been shot by republican gunmen — were hospitalised. The Progressive Unionist Party’s (PUP) David Ervine accused the IRA of orchestrating the violence and said Sinn Fein was "doing everything they can do to antagonise Protestants." However, Sinn Fein’s Joe O’Donnell noted that the Short Strand’s 3,000 inhabitants are "completely surrounded by a wall and 70,000 unionists and yet we are the ones supposed to be targeting loyalists." (IN, CW)
Nationalists and loyalists clashed in the Whitewell area of north Belfast. The security forces came under attack as they tried to separate the two groups. Two arrests were made. (IN, NBN)
June 3, Monday. In an official press release, the RUC/PSNI in Magherafelt, Co. Derry "urged the public … to be vigilant in the coming months as [the RUC/PSNI] are concerned that loyalist paramilitary groups are set to resume their unlawful activities in the South Derry area." The District Commander for the area said that patrols would be stepped up and will include the use of military patrols "as deemed necessary." (RUC/PSNI)
A proposed Belfast meeting to be held by the fascist British National Party (BNP) was cancelled "because of the tidal wave of negative press they have received in the city." Nevertheless, the party was adamant that a meeting would be held in Belfast before the end of the month. The meeting would give the BNP the chance to forge stronger links with loyalist supporters and members of Combat 18 in Belfast. Local BNP Ulster organizer Andy McLorie has been described as "the brainchild" of the meeting. He recently announced the party’s intention of standing candidates in the next Assembly elections. (see attacks, February 2002, May 2002) (SBN, NBN, CW)
At about 12:30 pm in the Short Strand area of East Belfast loyalists petrol bombed pensioners’ bungalows on Strand Walk. Over night both loyalist and republican gunmen fired shots. At 3:30 pm loyalists stoned, pipe bombed and petrol bombed a house in Clandeboye Drive, setting the roof on fire, they threw an acid bomb at another. At 530pm loyalists petrol bombed houses in Clandeboye Gardens. At around the same time, loyalists used an impromptu band parade to blockade the Albertbridge Road. The RUC/PSNI in riot gear and the British Army entered Clandeboye Gardens. Security force landrovers pushed back residents. Community sources say that at this point the vehicles moved apart and a woman PSNI officer beckoned the 300 strong crowd of loyalists who had been on the Albertbridge Road and allowed them through to Mountpottinger road where they attacked houses and hand-to-hand fighting with nationalists ensued. Security forces trained plastic bullets on nationalist residents who repelled the loyalists. Two hours later, a bus driver was injured when loyalists opened fire on the Newtownards Road. At about 9 pm a loyalist gunman in Kennilworth Place fired up to 20 shots through the metal security fencing at pensioners’ bungalows in Strand Walk. Loyalists rioted with PSNI and British Army. At about 6.30 pm, shots were fired into Cluan Place from the nationalist side of the peaceline; two men we injured in the attack. Gunmen opened fire from the loyalist side, PSNI claimed to have shot the gunman who was dragged back into Kennilworth place. It was the fourth consecutive night of sectarian violence on the edge of the nationalist Short Strand area of Belfast. St Anthony’s catholic Church in Willowfield, also in east Belfast, was petrol bombed. (IN, SBN, CW)
June 5, Wednesday. A "comprehensive plan" to tackle community relations issues — including sectarian and racial intimidation — was discussed in the Assembly. In a written answer to the DUPs Jim Shannon, First Minister David Trimble and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan said that the plan "include[s] the putting in place by the end of the year a cross-departmental strategy for the promotion of community relations …" (IN, BBC)
In East Belfast, loyalists blocked the Newtownards Road, while masked loyalists blocked the Albertbridge Road Post Office from access by Short Strand Catholics. At the same time Catholic health workers in a nearby health centre were told by their superiors not no return to work "for the foreseeable future". Catholic childcare workers on Albertbridge Road left their premises because of loyalists pickets. Later, two Short strand residents were attacked by loyalist picketers, while on their way home from the healthcare centre, one of them, a woman receiving treatment for cancer, abandoned her car as the attackers pelted it with stones. Catholic customers at a Chemists on the Newtownards Road had to be taken out the back of the shop to escape loyalist picketers. Later, a Catholic pensioner accompanied by his three-year-old grandchild was attacked at the Albertbridge Road Post Office. The Post Office then closed.(CW, BBC, IN)
A funeral held at St. Matthew’s Church on Seaforde Street in the Short Strand was attacked by loyalists. According to the South Belfast News, "[b]ricks and bottles rained down on the doors and windows of St. Matthew’s as loyalists jumped into the church grounds trying to force their way into the funeral." Mourners were forced to exit from the rear of the church (along with the coffin) while men who were attending the funeral drove the loyalists from church grounds. (SBN, CW, BBC)
As the loyalist blockade of the Newtownards road intensified, with a bus being hijacked and used as a barricade, picketers clashed with the PSNI and British Army. David Ervine, MLA for the UVF-aligned PUP was filmed, accompanied by masked men, remonstrating with the security forces. Professionally produced signs which read "No nationalist or republican from the Short Strand welcome in East Belfast" were seen on the blockade and on the Albertbridge Road. (BBC, IN, SBN, CW)
Loyalists attacked Catholic homes in the Madrid Street/ Bryson Street area with fireworks, ball bearings, golf balls and stones. Later, a loyalist sniper fired at nationalist youths and into Catholic homes from a rooftop on Susan Street, close to Madrid Street. A young family living on Seaforde Street escaped injury — and perhaps death — when a bullet came through their front window and hit their television. (SBN, CW, IN)
June 6, Thursday. Thomas Craig (39) of the loyalist Village area of south Belfast was freed on bail after having been remanded in custody on Monday on a charge of riotous behaviour. Mr. Craig is the father of Thomas McDonald — a young Belfast teen killed during sectarian disturbances late last year. He allegedly went into "a blind rage over the destruction of his son’s memorial" and was involved in disturbances in the Whitewell Road area of north Belfast. (IN)
In the Short strand, a Catholic resident was told by the PSNI that a serious threat had been made to his life by loyalist paramilitaries. Loyalist intimidation effectively prevented Catholics from attending Doctors Surgeries and Chemists on the Newtownards Roads. One woman, who was refused service at the Chemists was told by the manager that serving her was more than his life was worth. A bus driver was hit with a pellet from an airgun fired by loyalists as he drove along Woodstock link. On the Ravenhill Road, loyalists pusrued two young Catholics from the Short Strand in their car and attempted to run them off the road. (CW, BBC, IN)
A parent of a Lisnagelvin Primary School student expressed outrage to the Derry Journal when it was discovered that the mixed school had put up posters celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The school, which is in the Waterside area of Derry, said, "The Queen’s Jubilee is an event that probably most of us will never see again therefore we wanted to mark it. There is nothing political in it." (DJ)
June 7, Friday. NIO Security minister Jane Kennedy announced that the peaceline surrounding the nationalist Short Strand would be heightened. "I would much prefer not to have had to take this decision," said Ms. Kennedy, "but it reflects the serious situation on the ground over the past number of days and weeks." Meanwhile, loyalists in Cluan Place attacked houses in Clandeboye Gardens with pipe bombs and nail clad fireworks. (IN, UTV, CW)
A new police recruit who was to start his first day on the job on Monday narrowly escaped death when the detonator to a booby trap bomb under his car failed to trigger the main device. The new recruit was a Catholic living in Ballymena, Co. Antrim. The attack was the first attack on a police officer since the new police force came into being last October. It is thought that dissident republicans carried out the attack. (IN, BBC, UTV)
Students at the Belfast Institute’s Tower Street campus, close to the Short Strand in east Belfast were forced to show identification to a gang of masked loyalists trying to find out if they were from the Short Strand and/or Catholic. One student was told that all Catholics would be shot. Some of the students were told by the masked men to pronounce the letter ‘h’, to find out if they were Protestant or Catholic. The school is off the lower Newtownards Road and is located in a loyalist area. However, it is attended by both Protestants and Catholics. This incident marked the latest closing off of an amenity to residents of the Short Strand.(IN, BBC, UTV, SBN, CW)
A woman from the Short Strand in East Belfast claimed that a masked loyalist gunman pointed a shotgun at her. The incident occurred outside her place of work at Bryson Community Enterprises. "I have to endure the constant attacks on our house at night and now I am facing the same threat when I go to work," said the mother-of-five. Loyalists continued stoning houses in Clandeboye Gardens and Clandeboye Drive. Loyalists bands paraded around the perimeter of the Short Strand, and the loyalist blockade of the Newtownards Road continued while loyalists fired ballbearings and stones across the Madrid Street "security" gate at Catholic homes. (SBN, CW, IN)
A number of Catholics in Limavady, Co. Derry, expressed concerns that the town would become a ‘no go’ area for Catholics over the summer. From early June through the middle of July, the Parades Commission have been notified that there will be nearly two dozen marches in the Limavady area led by the various loyal orders. Some Catholic residents of the town have complained that these marches create a very unpleasant atmosphere in the town. (DJ)
DUP MP Gregory Campbell warned that Derry’s Fountain Estate could be "the next North Belfast." He accused nationalists/republicans of turning a blind eye to the ongoing disturbances at the interface of Bishop Street and the small Protestant enclave. "Petrol bombs, paint bombs, bricks and bottles are being hurled into the Fountain on a regular basis," he claimed. "This blatant intimidation has to stop." (DJ, CW, LS)
Protestant homes in west Belfast came under attack in the early hours of the morning. Independent Unionist councillor Frank McCoubrey, formerly of the UDA-aligned UDP, claimed the attacks were orchestrated by republicans. He also claimed to have seen up to 60 men launching petrol bombs on Springmartin Road. Local sources say that it was a group of up to 15 nationalist youths who threw 10 to 12 petrol bombs.(IN, CW)
East Belfast loyalists blocked a doctor’s surgery in a community centre, preventing access to nationalists from the Short Strand. Some of the loyalist protesters carried placards which read "No Short Strand Residents or Republicans allowed in lower east Belfast." Short Strand residents have responded by planning to set up a temporary doctor’s surgery in their area. (IN, CW)
In Derry, according to the Derry Journal, Union Jack flags were waved and sectarian abuse was shouted at city centre shoppers from above Butcher’s Gate. The incident — which also included spitting — followed the England v. Argentina World Cup match. Those hurling the abuse were loyalist supporters of the England team who appeared to have been drinking. (DJ)
June 8, Saturday. The Fountain Estate in Derry faced another weekend of sectarian attacks. In the early hours of Saturday morning, 7 petrol bombs were thrown into the estate by nationalist youths. No one was hurt. Nationalist homes just outside the Fountain also came under attack. A number of windows were broken at a house on Harding Street. Stones were being thrown from inside the Fountain. There was also a security alert on Bishop Street that was later declared a hoax by British army technicians. (DN, CW, LS, IN)
The Irish News reported that West Tyrone Ulster Unionist assembly member Derek Hussey put out a call to Donegal’s Shay Given (goalkeeper for the Irish national team) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to publicly call on Irish team supporters to stop sectarian attacks. The call was made in response to incidents in Strabane, Co. Tyrone. The incidents followed the Ireland v. Germany match when fans spilled out onto the streets in celebration. The UUP MLA claimed pupils from the Strabane Grammar School were verbally abused and spat upon following the game. (IN, CW, BBC)
After loyalists from east Belfast picketed the Mountpottinger Post Office for the second time in three weeks, Short Strand residents renewed their calls for opening a post office in their area. The pickets prevented Short Strand residents from picking up their family and/or income support benefits. Those who approached the pickets were subject to threats and sectarian abuse. However, a Post Office spokesperson said a Short Strand office was not financially viable. (SBN, CW)
The SDLP councillor Rosaleen Hughes told the South Belfast News that she has received a number of complaints from Newtownbreda residents regarding recently painted kerbstones. The kerbstones had been painted red, white and blue and Ms. Hughes noted that this was "deeply offensive to nationalists" living in the mixed area. She has called on the Castlereagh Borough Council to repaint the stones as soon as possible. Meanwhile, South Belfast DUP MLA Mark Robinson argued that the painting of fences and kerbstones added "character" to the area. (SBN, CW)
The Irish News reported that a new study recently conducted by a University of Ulster academic — Dr. Paul Connolly -- reveals that one in three children in the North of Ireland has experienced some form of sectarian abuse and/or threats by the time they leave school. The study also reveals that two thirds of minority children between the ages of 12 and 17 have experienced racism. The results of the study have been published in a booklet titled ‘Fair Play.’ (IN, BBC, BT)
June 9, Sunday. Loyalists paramilitaries are thought to be responsible for threatening a Catholic woman to leave her home in Magherafelt, Co. Derry. A masked gunman kicked in the door to her house and told the woman to leave the estate immediately. (IN)
June 10, Monday. Mark ‘Swinger’ Fulton, leader of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), was found dead in his prison cell at Maghaberry, Co. Antrim. Fulton, a close associate of the late Billy Wright (aka ‘King Rat’), is believed to have committed suicide. He has been linked to up to a dozen sectarian killings in the Mid-Ulster area. (IN, BBC, BT)
The Irish News reports that "[l]oyalists have stepped up their bombardment of the Short Strand by blaring paramilitary songs through the night." Loud speakers have been set up on Cluan Place and music has been blaring until 4am for the past three nights. Sinn Fein councillor Joe O’Donnell likened this to psychological warfare. (IN, CW, SBN)
The SDLP’s Kathleen McCloskey was elected as Derry City’s new Mayor. In her first address to the city council, Ms. McCloskey said that she would "work to promote greater tolerance and inclusion, where sectarianism, prejudice and hatred are tackled head-on by all." She then went on to stress that it was "especially important in the interface area of the Fountain and Bishop Street that efforts to ease community tensions through dialogue continue." (LS, DN, BBC)
June 11, Tuesday. A memorial to the 15 people killed in the McGurk’s Bar attack of December 4, 1971 (carried out by the UVF) was attacked by loyalists. The memorial, which was erected only last year, was paint-bombed. (IN, CW)
According to official police figures, there have been 18 attacks on Catholic homes and property in Larne, Co. Antrim. These attacks include the stoning of homes, slashing tyres, etc. Larne SDLP councillor Danny O’Connor is seeking meetings with both the Irish government and security minister Jane Kennedy to discuss the situation in the town. (IN, CW)
The home of a Catholic family in Crumlin, Co. Antrim was petrol bombed at about 2.20 am. Three petrol bombs were thrown; one damaged the family car, another exploded on an outside wall while the third went through the front room window. (IN, CW)
The UDA/UFF is alleged to have fired upon youths playing football in north Belfast. The shots were fired from the loyalist Tiger’s Bay estate. The PSNI/RUC claim the shots fired were blanks while Gerard Brophy — the local Sinn Fein councillor — claimed the shots were live rounds. (IN, CW, BBC)
June 12, Wednesday. Sectarian attacks on Derry’s Fountain Estate were condemned as "disgraceful" by Sinn Fein councillor Peter Anderson. "The republican ideal of Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter has no place for sectarianism." (DN)
June 13, Thursday. The Short Strand Residents Group held a march and rally, called to "End the Siege of the Short Strand." In a full page advertisement in the Andersonstown News, the group said they were "organising a rally for Thursday (today) at 7.00pm on Mountpottinger Road to highlight the civil and human rights abuses imposed on our community." The call went out to "all community organisations, human rights groups, trade unions, public and statutory bodies and all right thinking people to support [the Short Strand residents] in [their] plight." While up to 2000 residents attended the rally at one end of Mountpottinger Road, the security forces were seen allowing a group of up to 30 loyalists through their lines to attack nationalist youths at the other end, as word spread at the rally that there was an attack going on the crowd moved up the road to repell the attackers. The heavy security presence which had been there all along then moved in as hand to hand fighting began. Several plastic bullets were fired, all at nationalist residents. Several residents were injured and taken to hospital.Later, Sharon McMullan, a Catholic woman from the Short Strand, was rushed to the hospital after a pipe bomb exploded outside her front door. The pipe bomb was packed with barbed nails that -- upon explosion -- hit her in both legs. A second pipe bomb also exploded outside her front door. Her husband called for UN observers to monitor the situation in and around the Short Strand. The Loyalist Commission announced that it would postpone issuing a statement aimed at reducing tensions in east Belfast "due to yet another republican orchestrated attack into a Protestant community." (IT, AN, SBN, BBC, IN, CW, PFC)
June 14, Friday. Loyalist Commission finally issued the following statement:
The Loyalist Commission has for a period of time been
analysing republican tactics post the Provisional IRA
ceasefire and monitoring the recent manifestation of this
in interface areas.
It is evident the PIRA ceasefire is no longer intact, and that
a dangerous policy of systematic republican agitation and
aggression, aimed at Protestant communities living in interface
areas throughout Northern Ireland, is being organised.
This policy is to be condemned because of the continued
alienation and hurt it causes our community and damage it
does to the prospect of improved relations across the
community divide. Republican incursions into loyalist
communities throughout Northern Ireland have resulted
in a number of people being shot and reached a climax
last week when Sinn Fein/IRA in east Belfast shot five
Protestants during sustained and orchestrated attacks.
Such attacks have caused loyalist paramilitaries
to defend their communities and then only after
considerable restraint in the face of republican
provocation. There are no indications that republican
aggression will diminish, rather experience shows
they will simply broaden the violence to other areas.
In order to de-escalate the present crisis and with
the clear objective of bringing about a reduction in
tension, saving all communities from further suffering
and injury, the Loyalist Commission offers the following
for earnest consideration and agreement:
Loyalist paramilitaries will not initiate any action
against republican communities , reaffirming
their policy of no first strike.
Respect for both communities on interface areas is
essential and all individuals must have safe and
equal access to all facilities.
The right of expression for British culture and
unionist traditions is valued by loyalists and should
be respected by republicans and accepted without
unlawful protest.
A mirrored security force presence should operate
as necessary across the interface flashpoints so all
areas are protected and policed equally. Emphasis
should be put on community and local policing.
Attacks on the PSNI and security forces should
be halted by all concerned.
All practical efforts will be made to ensure incidents
don’t occur along interfaces that could create
tension between communities.
On interface areas measures should be
encouraged to ensure community contact is
carried out in a open and honest manner,
which demonstrates an effectiveness to
prevent problems arising.
This genuine attempt to de-escalate the current
situation will only work if there is a commitment
by Sinn Fein/IRA to halt their present politically
orchestrated violence and green propaganda
towards the Protestant community, and a
willingness from them to reduce the rising tension.
The Loyalist Commission simply asserts the right
of its people to remain British and live in peace.
We therefore call upon the Secretary of State,
the First Minister, Deputy First Minister, political,
Church and community leaders to immediately
seek a republican reciprocation to make this initiative
work. This is an attempt by the Loyalist Commission
to contribute positively to the peace, stability and
well-being of all in society. Real peace requires
more than hollow words. It has to be based on trust
and sincerity and practised by all communities.
At a press conference in Larne, Co. Antrim, police commander Superintendent Tom Haylett said there were upwards of 20 UDA men in the town who were terrorising "innocent Catholic people." It was noted that 30 Catholic families now live in Larne’s Craigy Hill estate. Two years ago there were 100 or so Catholic families there. And in the past week alone, 3 Catholic families have applied to the Housing Executive for accelerated purchase of their homes so that they can leave Larne. (IN, BBC)
The Equality Commission issued a report that sheds light on the "institutionalised" racism in the North of Ireland. According to the Newsletter, the report says "leaders in all sectors have yet to even consider the issue of race in a serious way." (NL, IN, BBC)
Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan (SDLP) visited the Short Strand in east Belfast. He noted that the residents of the area are "very annoyed by things which have been said where people have been attempting to equivocate about the loyalist violence and imply that it is something which has emanated from both sides or that it is tit-for-tat." The SDLP leader said that this was not the case and that this was "a community very much on the receiving end of a concerted assault." (IN, BBC, CW)
June 15, Saturday. SDLP MLA Carmel Hanna has been branded a "legitimate target" by loyalists because of her stand against the painting of kerb stones and erection of loyalist flags along the Lisburn Road in south Belfast. An article in the South Belfast News notes that the Assemblywoman recently received a threatening letter and that graffiti related to Ms. Hanna has appeared on walls in the Great Northern Street district. (SBN)
The Andersonstown News reported that sectarian slogans had been painted on the walls of St. Mary’s Primary School in nationalist west Belfast. The slogan’s included phrases such as "Kill All Loyalists." In commenting upon the attack, Sinn Fein’s Fra McCann said that "[i]n a community that has been targeted by loyalists in the past, graffiti of this nature is extremely reckless. This type of thoughtless vandalism could result in this school being itself seen as a target." (AN, CW)
A West Belfast community worker warned nationalists who use the Stewartstown Road and the Blacks Road to be "extra vigilant" after two men were attacked by loyalists wielding hammers and hatchets. The attack occurred in front of Woodbourne RUC/PSNI station but the officer on duty supposedly didn’t have the manpower to intervene. According to the community worker, "[t]he only thing that saved them was a taxi driver who drove his vehicle into the middle of them." (AN, CW)
Nationalists in east Belfast’s Short Strand area will ask Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan to investigate the loyalist blockade of the Bryson Street surgery
(see June 7, Friday). Angry residents claim that the RUC/PSNI did nothing to lift the blockade. Residents have also spoken to O’Loan about allegations of RUC/PSNI misconduct in the area. (SBN, CW, PFC)
Loyalists in the Waterside area of Derry City attacked a bus at about 2.30 pm. About 40 loyalists who shouted sectarian abuse and attempted to gain entry to the vehicle set upon the bus, which had stopped at a traffic light at the junction of the Dungiven Road, Clooney Terrace and Spencer Road. In order to get away, the bus driver was forced to ‘break a red light.’ (DJ, CW, BBC)
June 16, Sunday. A young woman has fled her home on Pump Street in Derry following a sectarian attack that left all of her windows smashed. Pump Street borders the loyalist Fountain Estate. Loyalist youths wearing Rangers scarves and balaclavas targeted the home on Sunday afternoon. The woman also complained about the RUC’s/PSNI’s slow response to the attack. (DJ, CW)
Loyalists attacked a member of the Pat Finucane Centre as he tried to calm tensions in the Fountain Estate/Bishop Street area. The incident followed the Ireland v. Spain World Cup match. The community worker was acting as a steward in conjunction with members of Derry’s Community Restorative Justice programme. He was punched and knocked to the ground around the Carlisle Road. Then, his assailants kicked him about the head. He escaped serious injury. The PFC has since been informed that the attackers were not from the Fountain but simply loyalists in the area looking for trouble. (DJ, IN, BBC, PFC)
June 17, Monday. A home bordering the loyalist Fountain Estate (Harding Street) was hit by a pipe bomb thrown from within the Fountain. A Catholic couple were in the home at the time. The device exploded on their roof — part of the device "had actually penetrated the roof and exploded in a shower of nails in the attic." (DJ, CW, BBC, DN)
The RUC/PSNI maintained a presence outside of St. Malachy’s High School in Antrim as students left school grounds for home. While sectarian tensions in the area seem to have cooled down, there had been complaints of Catholic students being intimidated and/or attacked as they left school. The school had also been daubed with offensive graffiti over the weekend. (IN)
June 18, Tuesday.A petrol bomb was hurled into the loyalist Fountain Estate in Derry. Youths entered the estate and one threw a petrol bomb in the direction of the eyewitness and her 2-year-old grandson. "It just isn’t safe to let children play out in the street anymore when there are men like this coming through the estate." Sinn Féin condemned the attack as "barbaric" and called the attackers "thugs"(DJ, DN, BBC, CW)
According to the Irish News, Short Strand residents are preparing to meet with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to discuss the ongoing sectarian attacks in east Belfast. "Bertie Ahern, nationalist parties and the international community need to put pressure on the British government to have attacks stopped before it gets any worse," said Sinn Fein’s Joe O’Donnell. It is expected that the residents will present the Taoiseach with a dossier of sectarian attacks on the Short Stand since mid-May. (IN, CW, BBC)
June 19, Wednesday. Michael Jameson (28) from Greenmount Place in Belfast was sentenced to 5 months for riotous behaviour. The young man who was described as having "an appalling record of public order offences" was caught throwing stones at nationalists during sectarian violence late last year. (IN)
Sinn Fein’s Mitchel McLaughlin accused the RUC/PSNI of "inflaming the situation" vis a vis recent tensions along the Fountain Estate/Bishop Street interface. Mr. McLaughlin claimed that police colluded with loyalist and acted undercover in a bid to set up youths from the Bogside. He said that men who were either loyalists or plainclothes officers taunted the youths with sectarian chants. When the youths gave chase, a RUC/PSNI snatch squad suddenly appeared and attempted to round up individuals they believed were involved in rioting and disorder. In the mayhem that followed (the police claim that they came under attack by the youths), the police fired two live rounds into the air. Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan is investigating the incident. (DJ, DN, BBC)
June 20, Thursday. Derry’s Sinn Fein representatives have signed on to a letter printed in Thursday’s Irish News condemning sectarian attacks in the city — particularly those along the Fountain Estate/Bishop Street flashpoint. The letter called on "those responsible for recent sectarian attacks to desist from such actions. They are wrong, unacceptable and cannot be tolerated." (IN)
At around 9pm, five paint bombs were thrown over Derry’s ‘peace line’ into the Protestant Fountain Estate. At around the same time, a crate of bottles — half of which were filled with petrol — were recovered by the RUC/PSNI near the Fountain Primary School, inside the Fountain. (LS, CW)
June 21, Friday. A number of Catholic homes were damaged by loyalists taking part in the controversial "Tour of the North" Orange parade in north Belfast. Police also claimed that marchers came under attack as they passed near the New Lodge area of north Belfast. Robert Saulters, Grand Master of the Orange Order, pledged to punish any Orange Order members should they be found guilty of taking part in any of the Tour of the North disturbances. (IN, BBC, CW)
June 22, Saturday. The South Belfast News was contacted by Catholic employees at an east Belfast shopping centre who have claimed that they are being forced from the jobs due to loyalist death threats. Catholic employees at both Boots and KFC at the Connswater Shopping Centre have made these allegations which have been confirmed by the PSNI/RUC. (SBN, RUC/PSNI, CW)
A Catholic taxi driver and his three passengers came under attack near the Mater Hospital in north Belfast on Saturday afternoon. Loyalists threw a meat cleaver at his vehicle. (IN, CW)
A Catholic man from the Oldpark area of north Belfast is "lucky to be alive" following a vicious sectarian beating. The 38-year-old was assaulted at around 2am along Beechnut Place off the Crumlin Road. He sustained injuries to his legs, head and abdomen and he remains in critical condition in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital. (IN, CW)
At the General Committee meeting of the Apprentice Boys of Derry, a statement was issued condemning the continuing sectarian attacks on Derry’s Fountain Estate. But the organisation added that "[w]ords of condemnation by politicians must be followed by strong and unequivocal support to restoring order on our streets. All of us wish only to live a life free from fear. For the people of the Fountain, words are not enough." (LS, CW, DN)
June 23, Sunday. Four Catholic teens were attacked by loyalists as they made their way home from Mass in Carryduff, Co. Down. Two carloads of loyalists followed the teens along the Saintfield Road in Carryduff. They were then attacked, though only one teen sustained any injury. (IN)
A north Belfast pensioner out walking his dog was attacked by two loyalists — one of who wielded a meat cleaver. The 65-year-old man was hospitalised and received 10 staples to his head. He was also treated for bruising on his back. (IN, CW)
Bomb disposal experts from the British Army carried out controlled explosions on two pipe bombs found at the junction of Bennett Street and the Albercorn Road in Derry. The devices had come from the loyalist Fountain Estate. (IN, CW, DN)
June 24, Monday.The SDLP’s Carmel Hanna MLA condemned an early morning attack on a student house in south Belfast. The attack, thought to have been carried out by the UDA/UFF was branded as "blatantly sectarian." At around 12.30 am a brick was thrown through a bedroom window followed by a blast bomb. No one was hurt in the attack but all six residents of the house have said they will immediately be leaving the rented accommodation. (IN, SBN)
A report in the Irish News claims that the UDA/UFF has "closed its ‘recruitment books’ after numbers seeking to join the organisation soared to a new high". Membership in the UDA/UFF youth wing — the Ulster Young Militants — is thought to be at its highest point ever. It is also thought that in the UDA/UFF stronghold of the Shankill Road (home of Johnny Adair and "C Company"), membership in the paramilitary organisation has soared. (IN, BBC, CW)
June 25, Tuesday. Secretary of State John Reid said that parents who encouraged sectarian attitudes in their children were "involved in a form of child abuse." Reid’s comments were prompted by the recent findings of a University of Ulster study that found that sectarian attitudes amongst children are often common by the age of six. (IN, NL, BBC)
It was confirmed that leading UDA/UFF figure, Johnny Adair, would not be at this year’s Drumcree protest in Portadown. This was confirmed by former UDP spokesperson John White who added that Adair "would still defend the principle of the Orangemen to walk their traditional route, but [he] feels the hierarchy of the Orange Order has let people down." (IN, BT)
Sinn Fein representatives in Derry claimed that the UDA/UFF are behind the sectarian attacks emanating from the Fountain Estate. "They are using the concerns of Fountain residents to promote their own agenda and prevent a solution to the sectarian violence we are witnessing," said Sinn Féin’s Peter Anderson. (IN)
June 26, Wednesday. According to the Londonderry Sentinel, residents from Derry’s Fountain Estate are soon to meet with NIO Security Minister, Jane Kennedy. The residents will be accompanied by the DUP’s William Hay MLA and the very Rev. William Morton, Dean of Derry. The meeting will address resident’s concerns surrounding the recent rise in sectarian attacks on the Fountain and heightened security measures will be discussed. Meanwhile, David Nichol — chairman of the Ulster Community Action Network (UCAN) and a former spokesperson for the UDA aligned UDP — has said that efforts are underway to set up a Loyalist Commision in the area. There is already a Loyalist Commission in Belfast made up of loyalist paramilitaries, church leaders and unionist politicians. (LS, CW)
June 28, Friday. Catholic graves in Carnmoney Cemetery in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim were vandalised during the night. More than 20 headstones and Celtic crosses were smashed and pushed over. The parish priest for the area, Fr. Dan Whyte, said it was the worst attack he had ever seen. A number of graves had also been vandalised two weeks ago and the grave of Daniel McColgan — murdered in a sectarian attack earlier this year -—was vandalised in May. (IN, BBC, BT)
June 30, Sunday. A Catholic teenager from Larne in Co. Antrim was attacked shortly after 2 am as he made his way along the Old Glenarm Road. He sustained a fractured skull and a number of other injuries. He was taken to Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital and later to Antrim Area Hospital. (IN, BBC, CW)
sources:
AN: Andersonstown News
BT: Belfast Telegraph
BBC: BBC radio and television news, BBC online, Radio Foyle
CW: Local community workers
DJ: Derry Journal
DN Derry News
IN: Irish News
IT: Irish Times
ITN: Independent Television News
LS: Londonderry Sentinel
NBN: North Belfast News
NL: Newsletter
OB: Observer
PFC: Pat Finucane Centre
RM: RM Distribution
RUC/PSNI: Police Service of Northern Ireland (RUC) press office.
SBP: Sunday Business Post
SBN: South Belfast News
SI: Sunday Independent
ST: Sunday Tribune
UTV: Ulster Television