A 15 year old boy was left seriously injured following a sectarian attack in which his skull was broken and his attackers tied a wire around his neck and dragged him along the road. The attack, on the interface at Clifton Park Avenue, led to a protest in the area last night.
World by Storm has a nice piece up on the IRA’s role in helping MK, the armed wing of the ANC, in the 1980s. In particular he sees a strange alchemy at work there: …if one can think of a clearly legitimate contemporary struggle it was that against apartheid and it is to the credit [...] read our review »
A moment of some significance in journalism perhaps, as the New York Times reviews the current talked about book, The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan by Bing West. The author is no bleeding heart but a former assistant Defense Secretary from the Reagan era who stomped his way round the Afghan [...] read our review »
Dear God, grown men beating on a wee boy of 15. Poor lad I hope he makes a full recovery. The Kill-a-Taig season is officially underway.
Terrible story.
Strange how the report does not once mention the word Loyalist saying that it was this grouping that obviously carried out the sectarian attack.
Shocking as it sounds it doesnt come as a big shock to me,for the last few weeks nationalists have been attacking manor street and it was only a matter off time before locals of the lowwer oldpark took this sort of action..im not saying they were right to attack this lad but if nationalists attack the area again im sure this wont be the last we shall hear off someone geting beat up..
Scum
Yet another horrific, yet totally predictable, attack on an innocent and vulnerable individual in the run-up to the marching season. This can’t stop soon enough.
Why aren’t there heightened levels of police patrol in these flashpoint areas for the month or so approching the 12th? Because half the perpetrators are on the books of the police intelligence gathering apparatus and they’ll overlook “minor” crimes in hope of finding out about “major” crimes? Maybe they just can’t be bothered? A lot of these crimes seem pretty preventable and the prosecution rate is negligible. That smells a bit funny to me.
Yesterday afternoon I was driving through Belfast (in the passenger seat actually) idly photographing things as we rolled past them. Interesting front gardens, murals, birds, whatever. We turned off Milltown Road just by the large and very messy bonfire that’s being built there and I took a couple of snaps on the way past. We were promptly ordered to fuck off by a pretty unpleasant looking guy with a bunch of teenagers in support. Orangefest, that enjoyable fun event marking the summer, anybody?
The time for tolerance of these aspects of this “culture” is long since gone…
the eradication of sectarianism should be a priority for all
apropo darren stewart’s comment:
wise up darren, trying to justify this attack with your comments is as sickening as the the attack itself. sectarianism is wrong irrespective of who practices it. all too often these thugs are drugged up and bozed up social inadequates who take succour from comments like yours. lets isolate the sectarians, the catholic sectarians and the protestant sectarians. we deserve better.
I wondered how long it would be before a “whatabout” comment. Comment number 3! Fairly fast!
Well said Snakebrain and Lorraine.
The ‘cultural’ institutes of Loyalism are often used as a smokescreen for increased sectarianism and hatred.
Isolation and eradication is the only way forward.
In responding to the sectarian incursions into the Oldpark in this way people achieve nothing but hurting an innocent member of the public (in this case a child) and presenting the Chris Donnelly’s of the world the opportunity to portray such events as the isolated, context-less and unmitigated sadism of the naturally evil planters.
I would suggest that rather than exploiting this situation to try and establish a goodies and badies style moral narrative, shouldn’t we mention the tit for tat character of these incidents and try to responsibly promote dialogue to ensure that the causes for such hatred are exposed and dealt with ?
the cynicism of the piece is manifest, the voyeuristic details of the assault and the clear description of the sectarian motivation where no culprits have been apprehended, yet it is neglected to mention any good wishes to the boy’s recovery.
On behalf of all his Protestant neighbours and Protestants throughout the province I would like to wish this poor child a speedy recovery and hope that his family can find some comfort at this awful time.
using the actions of the hate filled to inspire more hatred is an awful thing to do and I would ask any Catholic reading this who feels motivated to ( the understandable) hostility towards Protestants to remember that in submitting to that sensation, you are experiencing the same thing that inspired these dirty thugs to assault a teenage boy. Or indeed the same impulse that lead to Glasgow Celtic fans assaulting a three year old girl on the stena line, an incident I do not believe Mr. Donnelly covered.
At some point we must rise above our impulses and draw a line in the sand, and like those countless widows of police men we used to see on the TV, we must plead (even with ourselves and our appetites) that there should be no retaliation and no appetite for retaliation, otherwise we are no longer battling the beast,
we are the beast.
Even when we look to the real monsters of our history, Murphy, Maginchly, Stenson even Sean Kelly we must remember that they to, no doubt, had their saucy stories of innocents assaulted and images of savage hostile tribes to inspire their fury.
Given that the Marching Season brings on these attacks from unionist/loyalist sources year on year, perhaps it’s time to simply ban all Orange/Loyal Order parades.
I would also be for banning outright both Celtic and Rangers or, at least, suspending the right of attendance at these games of fans from the North.
Lorraine
You should read Darren’s remarks before rushing to condemn him.
For a start he did not justify this criminal act but simply tried to offer a reason why it took place and went on to say it was not right.
Perhaps he should have condemned it with more vigour but you have misrepresented his views.
I agree that sectarianism should be confronted and shown for what it is.
The people who carried out this vile and cowardly act need to be handed over by their community to face the full rigours of the law and be locked away for many years. As one contributor has correctly described them as scum
JP,
Unfortunately your detailed post ultimately served as just another case of whataboutery, and you have placed yourself in a very precarious position.
Why J.P., is it not possible to just condemn this attack in an isolated fashion? Why do you feel the need to seek reassurance knowing that you have condemned the attack with the full knowledge that you have also now ‘educated’ us all about incidents perpetrated by others.
As for your assertions that people on this blog may be motivated to harm their Protestant neighbours, that is the most condescending, sanctimonious statement that i have ever seen on Slugger.
Just who the hell do you think you are JP? More to the point, who exactly do you think we are? Do you think that any of the decent people here would possibly descend to the level of the Neantherdal Scumbags who committed this attack?
You need to get off your somewhat aloof little perch JP – And make that real quick…
JP
I’ll respond just as fervently to Nationalist attacks, though in this thread what’s being discussed is a particular Loyalist attack, hallmarked by a savagery that is sadly unsurprising.
I don’t think you can accuse CD of unnecessary cynicism, he’s simply posted the story of a terrible event in the heart of our city. The “voyeurism” you accuse him of is better considered as a willingness to recount and set down on record the horrific nature of this assault. I don’t think either that you can consider this as an incitement to hatred. An incitement to despair perhaps. There may well be those who will react to this story by being filled with the desire for retaliation, but as you say, they are the beast.
While on the one hand I appreciate your thoughts of goodwill towards the family of this boy, there’s a streak of whataboutery in your comments that belies the higher sentiments you express.
There is “a goodies and badies style moral narrative”; it’s very clear cut and very simple, and not divided on religious or tribal grounds. It’s between the goodies who do not perpetrate or tolerate any attack of this kind, and the baddies who do. There are goodies and baddies on both sides of the religious divide. It’s time the baddies were stopped in their tracks.
You should be ashamed of yourself Darren Stewart.
Your remarks are totally disgusting.
“I’m not saying that they were right..but..”
Yuck.
“Why J.P., is it not possible to just condemn this attack in an isolated fashion? Why do you feel the need to seek reassurance knowing that you have condemned the attack with the full knowledge that you have also now ‘educated’ us all about incidents perpetrated by others.”
because this is not an isolated incident and we must look to the prevention of such incidents, rather than their punishment after the fact, as a long term solution. The criminal action in this incident, ‘assult’, can be condemned in isolation but to do so we leave out the apparent sectarian motivation’ and the incidents that inspire that motivation and thusly the substance of these events.
In order for us to oppose these incidents effectively we must understand them and the first stage of that understanding is to recognise their plural nature. The only function served in ‘isolated condemnation’ is to offer an exclusive example of prods behaving badly, something which is no doubt the purpose of many interested parties but in terms of a meaningful stance against sectarianism, its worthless, and indeed in itself sectarian.
I mention incidents of a converse nature to remind people that we do not face a situation of one sided, unmotivated aggression, such a situation at an ethnicity conscious level does not exist, but that the barbarism of this incident is replicated and indeed inspired by the identical barbarity of its opposite cases and vice versa again. Presenting this situation as an outcome of men playing flutes is to contribute to sectarianism, you should recognise that it is not the marching season, but the violent reaction to it that is the problem, and the violence that violent action has produced in turn.
“As for your assertions that people on this blog may be motivated to harm their Protestant neighbours”
I made no such suggestion, I said ‘hostility’ and the post –
“The ‘cultural’ institutes of Loyalism are often used as a smokescreen for increased sectarianism and hatred.
Isolation and eradication is the only way forward”
would seemingly affirm that suggestion.
I would be hard pressed to think of anything more hostile than “eradication”
the rest of your post as it was a reaction to your own misinterpretation, not my comment
and I think “we” are people who as far as I can see peddle their sectarianism from behind a keyboard rather than with fists, it might make your actions less repulsive, it say as nothing for your motives.
There is no tit-for-tat.
The person spreading that is merely trying to justify attempted murder with a falsehood.
A disgusting attack, carried out by animals inspired by the Orange culture of hate.
Best wishes to the unfortunate boy, worst wishes to those who attacked him and their cheerleaders justifying it on this website.
I live in Glasgow, we have had a lot of OO marches through my area lately. In the hours after it there are always those singing these hate songs, shouting ef the pope etc. This weekend 4 skinheads in their 20′s were walking along the road signing what I thought was the hokey cokey. Turns out it was all about catching a Taig and doing to him what this boy suffered. A clear attempt at murder. Funny no SF here to tell me and my neighbours (mixed) that we don’t want these nice people anywhere near us.
Roll on the Orangefest/hatefest with the lovely harmless songs and hymms.
JP
I’ll respond just as fervently to Nationalist attacks, though in this thread what’s being discussed is a particular Loyalist attack, hallmarked by a savagery that is sadly unsurprising.
do you wish to suggest that such savagery’s a unique Loyalist trait ?
I don’t think you can accuse CD of unnecessary cynicism,
is there such a thing a necessary cynicism ? Its the selective nature of the coverage that I feel is cynical, incidents like these have propaganda merit for those who would wish to spread hate, it is not beyond possibility that the people who organised the incursions into the old park were hoping for this sort of event to take place. this is a noted republican tactic. and when the tragic tit for tat cycle of violence is presented in these isolated terms by people with political form, its clearly to incite a reaction.
While on the one hand I appreciate your thoughts of goodwill towards the family of this boy, there’s a streak of whataboutery in your comments that belies the higher sentiments you express.
whataboutery, as I understand it, is a term invented in Northern Ireland to denounce the denouncement of selective condemnation, many instances of whataboutery do more to address the reality of the situation than the contrived political narratives the term was coined to defend. now whilst it can be seen as an attempt at the justification of the ‘your’ sides transgressions by a comparison to the that of the other side, that was not my intention, my intention was to call attention to the totally unjustifiable nature of tit for tat incidents like this and to suggest that they can only be addressed when both communities are prepared to air their own muck, not just the other sides.
There is “a goodies and badies style moral narrativeâ€; it’s very clear cut and very simple, and not divided on religious or tribal grounds.
A fine sentiment, only partially complicated by the fact that its baddies who invent the narrative (on tribal and religious grounds) and baddies who present it to the public in such a way that we all have different ideas about who the baddies are, depending on our side of the fence.
it would be wonderfully simple if Northern Ireland were a conflict of good people verses bad people, but unfortunately we are split on the grounds of ethnicity and ambition, not morality and my good guy is the Sinn Fein voters bad guy, and vice versa, Northern Ireland is not good versus bad, its Protestants versus Catholics the baddies generally being at the forefront of both sides and are endorsed by those behind, who are not so good, even in relation to scumbags like the above, as they might like to think.
my my, how republicans have changed their tune?? Condemnation eh? Republicans, as epitomised by RSF pick and choose who and what they wish to condemn. So please, please do not start preaching about condemnation. As far as I can see every unionist blogger has unreservedly condemned this despicable act. Get over it, oh I forgot it’s prod bashing month on slugger!
Well, I’ve read the BBC report about 3 times now and I can’t seem to find any reference to the Orange Order or anyone with links to the Orange Order. The attackers were without a doubt Protestants but thats no reason for a bit of OO bashing. Some of the Republican posts seem to ignore that a local protestant woman attempted to stop the attack:
“He remembers that a Protestant woman came out of her house and shouted at them to stop.”
I used to get beaten up by republicans on the way home from school years ago, but I dont hold a grudge against Catholics!
nice one Prince, that is the norm.
JP
“you should recognise that it is not the marching season, but the violent reaction to it that is the problem” ..
is possibly the thickest statement I’ve ever read on Sluggers in 2 years.
Who is brainwashing you JP?
Wake up.
Get real JP -
Isolation of the bigots and eradication of violent sectarian institutions is hardly a call for hostility towards normal law-abiding Unionists.
And a note to all –
The sooner we stop using the terms Catholic and Protestant the better. Most of us probably to not practise any religion anyway.
The divide here in the north is an ethnic one – between indigenous people and those who came here during the Plantations.
If you don’t like using the terms Gael/Native or Planter then Nationalist and Unionist are alot more representaitve of our situation than Catholic or Protestant.
Prince Eoghan
“I live in Glasgow”
If you just cant stand the sight of the Orange Order, then your living in the wrong town. Might I suggest, Dundalk?
I would suggest the comments calling for the Orange order to be eradicated because it ‘spreads hatred’ (to its opponents more so than its adherants it would seem) as proof of the propagandile merit and function of these selective tales.
Ther is also the outragous sentiment that Orange lodges spread hatred, something there is not a shread of evidence for, yet huring groups named after people responsible for acts of ethnic cleasing are apparently fine and dandy.
an assult with no convictions was of course loyalist and indeed inspired by hate talks in orange lodges, yet a kneecapping by the brother in law of an IRA gang leader is above conjectures.
selective morality for an entirely agenda driven debate forum.
JP said: “yet huring (sic) groups named after people responsible for acts of ethnic cleasing are apparently fine and dandy.â€
Didn’t realise there were any hurling clubs in Serbia.
But seriously, you sure this is not more evidence of your brainwashed background?
Isolation of the bigots and eradication of violent sectarian institutions is hardly a call for hostility towards normal law-abiding Unionists
you did not call for the eradication of violent sectarian institutions – you called for the eradication of groups you deem to be secterian that the Unionist community places great value on, if you want to abolish secterian platforms im al for it, but to suggest republicans are in a position to impartially denote what is secterian and what is not is laughable, you simply abuse the conceopt as a platform for your own secterianism, as evidenced by your exclusively protest targets.
The divide here in the north is an ethnic one – between indigenous people and those who came here during the Plantations. – so you see the troubles as a race war? and yet you would seek to present your exclusive condemnation of protest instituions as reasonable..?
its those ethnic sands’s and Adams’s against those english lord oneils and danny kennedy’s is it ??
Bluer,
I agree there is no tit for tat. The reality is that there are unpleasant crimes committed by person or persons against this individual. No ifs buts or maybes. Whilst discussion of other attacks may help explain the context it cannot explain or excuse the crime. I do not think either Darren Stewart or JP are trying to justify the attacks. If they were I condemn that as well.
“by animals inspired by the Orange culture of hate” – is hardly helpful language.
Oilibhear,
Although more subtle the following is not particularly helpful either
“perhaps it’s time to simply ban all Orange/Loyal Order parades.
I would also be for banning outright both Celtic and Rangers or, at least, suspending the right of attendance at these games of fans from the North.”
Prince Eoghan,
Some of my work colleagues at Michelin Ballymena decide to sing that same hokey cokey song to me on their breaks. Only around marching season though. And only when the are in large numbers.
Brave sons of ulster.
“do you wish to suggest that such savagery’s a unique Loyalist trait ?”
No, but it certainly is a hallmark of the Loyalist attacks that swing round with depressing regularity this time of year every year. Of course, it was also a hallmark of the IRA, and countless other nationalists I’m sure. That’s not what we’re talking about here though. The unfortunate reality is that there are an awful lot of brutal attacks on innocent individuals emanating from the Loyalist community in the approach to the 12th every year.
“is there such a thing a necessary cynicism ?”
Yes, when dealing with those who occupy morally ambivalent positions, or who try to veil or otherwise distort the truth.
“it is not beyond possibility that the people who organised the incursions into the old park were hoping for this sort of event to take place. this is a noted republican tactic”
No comment. You’ve said enough.
“that was not my intention, my intention was to call attention to the totally unjustifiable nature of tit for tat incidents like this”
Admirable, but the reality is that there hasn’t actually been a comparable incident in the recent past in that area emanating from the nationalist community, so what you have is either a Loyalist escalation of a low-level feud, or an unprovoked attack, either of which is unjustifiable. I’m not excusing nationalist attacks of any kind, if they have happened, but they don’t justify or excuse this.
Whataboutery is usually viewed as the attempt but excuse the actions of one side by reference to the actions of another. Therefore, your comments are pure whataboutery, whatever higher purpose you may claim.
I didn’t say the NI conflict was a good vs bad conflict. I said there were goodies and baddies on both sides. Of course there are other ways you can cut the pie, but that one stands nonetheless.
I don’t quite understand what you mean when you say the baddies invent the narrative; not mine they don’t. They are simply categorised as baddies, who carry out inexcusable crimes, from those who carried out this attack to those who killed innocent people in Omagh..
“As far as I can see every unionist blogger has unreservedly condemned this despicable act. Get over it, oh I forgot it’s prod bashing month on slugger!”
It’s not about the condemnation, it’s about the reservation.
How did they know the kid was a Catholic?
Helpful? Who the hell are we meant to be helping? These scumbags?
Animals carried out a brutal attempted murder on a defenseless child. This comes, yet again, as cultural activities like burning effigies of Catholics come to the boil.
Scumbags fueled up by a culture of hatred.
A whole culture that annually burns people and things associated with their neighbours leading to brains getting smashed. Help them? Fuck them.
The motivation for such sadistic barbarity escapes me. Since the article states it was a grown man with the driver, I just can’t fathom what he had to gain by beating an innocent teenager with a bloody golf club.
Sick and twisted are the only words that come to mind.
It’s the type of ‘cultural’ behaviour that BLUER describes that should be eradicated JP.
If Nationalists carried out similar rituals i’d say the same – the fact is that they don’t.
And you can’t deny that cultural differences, based on ethnic and political divides, is much more relevant than current religious affiliations.
Kevster
That’s all that really need to be said
from faith and duty, where the tactic is noted : “Even though he empathised with his co-religionists in their demands for civil rights, Curtis tells how he was to be shocked by the callousness of the republican movement. Early in the book Curtis describes a small group of men directing youths as they rioted in Ardoyne, others setting of bangers hoping the soldiers would ‘return’ fire and maybe even (if they were lucky) injure someone. Later he would describe finding the body of a man beaten and tortured by the IRA, almost beyond recognition.”
sorry if i provocted distaste on your part, i was not stating an opinion, but a noted aspect of history.
Bluer,
I have been attending 12th celebrations for years. I may have burned the burgers sometimes on the barbarque by mistake but that is about it.
You are claerly a man / woman with the ability to engage in reasoned debate and argument. I look forward to your next rational and intellectually stimulating post.
The culture of death:
Fuck Mickey Bo
KAT – Kill All Taigs
Orange culture fuels those that would bash in the brains of children.
Turgon
Good answer.
I’m just waiting for Trow to tun up and educate us all on what actually happened..
Bluer,
Thankyou; no really thank you. I do think you should seriously consider enrolling for a PhD with that sort of abiltiy to impartially critique and that rapier like intellect so ably demonstrated. May I be so presumptious as to call you Dr. Bluer?
What has the OO got to do with any of this?
The people who did this are scum but the folk on this thread who are using this attack as a means to point the finger at all Protestants and Orangemen in Northern Ireland are kidding themselves.
This isn’t a Prod/Catholic thing; this is a societal thing – totally cross community. What sort of society breeds the type of grown men that are capable of callous acts such as this? What sort of mentality or warped perception of the world must a person have if they feel it necessary to bludgeon a 15 year old boy to brink of death for no other reason than he is a Catholic?
The situation in North Belfast is archaic to say the least – you’d think it was 1907 not 2007 there given the regularity of the sectarian attacks which take place, of which this incident is only one.
The dismantling of the peace walls are a long way off – in a period during which we are supposed to be living in peace. Worryingly, the kids who are throwing petrol bombs over the walls aren’t children who have been scarred by growing up during the Troubles – this is meant to be the ‘Peace’ generation. Something has gone very wrong here – these children are perpetuating the actions and the hatred of their ancestors, not because of their own experiences but because the sectarian baggage continues to be passed down to them from one generation to the next.
Where is the community leadership in North Belfast? It seems that every summer there is a situation at the Ardoyne shops and/or masses of petrol bombs are thrown. Are there any attempts being made, whatsoever, at fostering some sort of cross-community feeling or are we going to have to keep the sky-high barracades up between the Nationalist and Unionist communities there for another generation?
If this thread is an example of the attitudes that form a new future for my kids then I don’t know whether to say a plague on all your houses or just hang my head and cry.
Basic facts guys, I grew up in North Belfast and sectarianism is if anything worse now than it was in the worst of the 1970s.
In my sad experience is that most people (self included)in this country are pretty decent but suffer myopia regarding sectarianism in their own community (the corollary being a forensic ability to see it in the ‘other sort’).
This thread is a case in point, I have no love of parades and having had to help friends (a mixed marriage)driven out of the neighbouring estate on an 11th night in 1994 as a pack of drunken thugs (half of whom were in the local band)threatened them I am more than a little sceptical about parades. But at the same time I know from speaking to them that for that for many of my neighbours there is no malace in the 12th just a wish to express their cultural identity.
At the same time the sectarianism of some of my Catholic cousins who would rage in righteous anger about the OO but casually pillory people they have never met as bigots, rednecks, etc. is every bit as sickening.
Maybe in the light of the fact that this thread is following such an appalling crime we might have half a chance if instead of just condemning crimes emerging from the other community we made twice the effort to stamp out such attitudes in our own community. As an Antrim Road boy I am under no illusions that too many people from both communities have been too quick cast the first stone and perhaps too slow to admit that their casual contempt of them’uns might just be part of the problem.
An awful, horrendous attack, and all right-thinking people’s thoughts will be with the boy and his family tonight.
Sunningdale has stated the situation perfectly. Thanks to him/her for providing a dignified post, full of appropriate anger and frustration.
JP
I agree – it shouldn’t be mooted that the orange order is abolished. With a history as diverse as that of this island, I think it is important to maintain a link to the ALL cultural aspects of Irish history. As the oo is an organisation in Ireland, it forms part of the unique Irish culture. The sectarians in the oo certainly lower the tone, and I would say to anyone who is a genuine and non-rascist member of the oo, to do their upmost to rid themselves of these dead weights, so that every Irish person in the 32 counties can enjoy summer time parades….
i think the real question is ” who cares enough to actually do something about it”?
Words and sympathies are like flowers ,they wither and die!
Gareth I agree that anyone who knows who commits such a crime should notify the police. My point was that even those who don’t know who committed this or similar crimes still has a role in challenging the poisonous opinions of those in both communities that foster and encourage such hatred and then disown responsibility when the consequences are all too evident.
The underlying truth in Northern Ireland is that words can hurt and even, particularly when they foster irrational hatred of anyone who is not from their own community.
Turgon
“Thankyou; no really thank you. I do think you should seriously consider enrolling for a PhD with that sort of abiltiy to impartially critique and that rapier like intellect so ably demonstrated. May I be so presumptious as to call you Dr. Bluer”
If those flags and bonfires are current then that’s pretty damn offensive and inflammatory and can’t help peace. Do u think such burnings should happen ??
Sectarianism is not a 50/50 problem….its 90/10…i think you will find that loyalists have committed most if not all sectarian murders in the last 10 years…they seem particularly fond of teenagers i think thats 3 in 2 years…go figure must be something to do with civil and religious liberties for all, celebrated at this time of year…however big hats off to the woman who shooed the scum off…5 grown men versus one woman is obviously not odds these pantpissers enjoy!
Dewi
The Fuck Micky Bo bonfire was outside Ballymena, in either Galgorm, Ahoghill or Cullybackey, I can’t remember which, and was very shortly after the death of Micky McIlveen, and so not current but not ancient history either. And yes, it is pretty inflammatory. I presume that was the intention. I can’t place the other. The Micky Bo flag was pretty roundly condemned at the time, especially since a few members of Ballymena Council are reputed to have attended that particular bonfire. I’m surprised you didn’t recognise it instantly.
Turgon’s point, I assume, is that that is not representative of all Protestants. There are plenty who are inoffensive rational people who wish to enjoy themselves without unduly interfering with the lives of other residents of the country.
Personally, I wish the 12th didn’t mean the whole country closing down so that those who wish to can celebrate their festival. I think it’s damn unfair for people to be forced to take time off work out of their paid holidays when it might not suit them to. And I wish the OO would pay for, and show some willingness towards, the inevitable clean-up afterwards.
The issue of anti-social elements within the Protestant community is exactly that. Elements. Sure, they need to be clamped down on, and there isn’t enough will in that direction from the bodies leading the 12th celebrations, but they are a part of a bigger whole. It’s unfair to pretend that everybody out on the 12th is a baby-eating maniac; it’s just not true.
That said, there is a problem of violence inside the Loyalist community in North Belfast which doesn’t have an obvious counterpart in the Nationalist community. There are obviously sectarian incidents on both sides, but these horrifically violent individual attacks are overwhelmingly a Loyalist phenomenon. My brother was attacked in a very similar manner and it’s no laughing matter; whatever can be done to stop them occuring should happen asap. I stand by my first comments in this thread about the prosecution of these offenders, it doesn’t happen anything like often enough, and I think it’s down to a lack of will within the police.
I’m sickened by people trying to suggest this attack was some kind of retaliation for some other events. Attacks on houses normally make the news, but the alleged attacks on Manor Street haven’t. And if this crew of five men armed with golf clubs are so tough, why couldn’t they go out and give hell when there were people actually attacking the house, rather than waiting for an innocent teenager to go walking past ? It’s just the usual opportunistic attack on an innocent person.
Since snakebrain has introduced me into this terrible discussion – claiming that I shall educate everyone about what happened to poor Niall Ferrin, as if everyone doesn’t know already – he is just the latest target of loyalist killers who have carried on in the tradition of John ‘Grug’ Gregg and his followers.
Instead of telling everyone about what happened to their previous victims, especially Gavin Brett, I recommend that everyone, nationalist and loyalist alike,commit themselves totally to stopping these barbarous attacks without any quarter given, any possible justification of what has been done by someone in the past, etc.
It is only by truly drawing a line against such behavior, no matter who does it, that it shall ever stop.
And just to show again my true sentiments for all concerned, in case anyone has any doubts about them, let’s do it in the name of poor Michael Brett.