North Antrim an area of great tension
In the last six weeks or more areas of North Antrim have become serious hot-spots in Northern Ireland. Last night Rasharkin Orange Hall was attacked again with petrol bombs and left with scribbles of ‘CIRA’ and ‘Remember 81′ all over it. Sinn Fein’s Daithí McKay has been a regular contributor on the issue. I have fears that Sinn Fein are contributing to the tensions in the area. Whilst they have condemned attacks on Protestant homes they are failing to lead their people from the front. How about the word ‘respect’? Republicans are relatively new to the area, Protestants have lived there for many generations but are now however expected to roll over for them. Protestants are also being chased out of the area now.
* Right, I have decided to close this thread. The comments already posted should still be visable. I do this as requested by some readers and also the fact that I can’t monitor this thread 24/7. Some of the comments were getting a little below the belt.The media as a whole seems to focus less on the assault on Protestants and more on the general situation, especially around parades. Lets face it the Parades issue will never be resolved. Republicans will not see the parade stopped, even the Parades Commission has said that. They don’t have the power.
On Thursday evening DUP Councillor John Finlay, who I know has been working hard on this issue, attended the meeting in Rasharkin between the Residents’ and the Parades Commission. He was hounded and heckled as he spoke. Where was the respect?
Protestants in the area are facing something comparable to ethnic cleansing. No ifs no buts. If Protestants are supposedly to be welcomed into a United Ireland, as Adams recently advocated again, where is the evidence?
qubol, blogging isn’t considered as libel, it may be considered slander, just like talking in a pub, but its not libel.
Republican posters on this thread quite frankly demonstrate and further many of my points.
A term ‘ethnic cleansing’ is perhaps a term that they would prefer used when talking about themselves. Nationalists are not the only victims in our society.
So far two Protestants have left the area, with another four waiting to be rehoused. If this isn’t ethnic cleansing what is it? These families are not moving out of choice.
Furthermore the murder of Michael McIlveen and Kevin McDaid as well as the torching the Quinn families homes were dispicable or appalling. Just because I haven’t mentioned them doesn’t mean in ANYway I would condone them – do not put words in my mouth. All such attrocities were sick and terrible. Murder is murder and there is no justification whatsoever for them.
Things are not black and white here. As a Unionist I feel that many nationalist and republican posters on here are in denial. Many things have happened on both sides of the divide, I acknowledge that so called ‘loyalists’ or ‘Unionists’ have done things but these in my opinion were not lawful or in the defence of the Union. They do not represent me or many many people I know.
There is much hatred in our society and Rasharkin and many other areas in North Antrim are a reminder that they haven’t gone away. Furthermore I do not feel that Sinn Fein are helping the situation and are seeking to use it for political gain. I have not heard one resident say anything other than Daithi McKay speak for them. That I know for a fact. He keeps the media away from the residents.
What I sought to tell here was a story of Protestants and Unionists being scared and terrorised out of their homes. This is despicable no matter what religion you are. There are already scores of threads on other events/attrocites.
I will not make any further comment as what will it achieve here? This debate is a vicious cycle and circle of comments and opinions. We will not agree. All I can hope is that we can learn something. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The beauty of Slugger is that everyone can have their say and with over 140 odd posts everyone has had a chance.
Bruno Spiro,
In light of the last few posts I invite you to revisit your charge that it is primarily nationalists who have problems acknowledging suffering on the other side.
Nevin,
SF at local level (Daithí McKay) and at leadership level (both Gerry and Marty) have been forthright in opposing ‘republican’ extremism. Unionists couldn’t even be bothered to attend Kevin McDaid’s funeral. And now they are bleating about ‘ethnic cleansing’.
If the DUP were truly concerned about Protestants in Rasharkin they would use their influence with the loyal orders and the organisers of the band parade to try and calm the situation. Instead we have Paisley óg lying that none of the bands are paramilitary linked and Mervyn Storey claiming that Catholics are attacking AOH halls!!
BTW I see loyalists have opened a new front on the other side of the Bann.
[i]25.Die-Tie McKay is unusually quiet….. [/i]
He’s probably scared that the dissident yobs in Rasharkin will read slugger. He defended the local Republican chippy in Rasharkin against them and got his windows put in, so he’s hardly going to start getting into a debate on here where he might ‘slip-up’ and defend the Prods.
UMH, I not very familiar with Christian denominational fine print. Some of the allegations came to me from a cleric who was a regular visitor to the hospital.
Andrew is reminded of the incineration of the Quinn children which Paisley gloated over. He is reminded of other murders by his neighbours and friends. He might even recall Harryville when Protestant rugby intenrationals terrorised mass going grandmothers. Then he claims Catholics are in denial.
Ulster’s my Homeland: Even a sectarian sdhould know that things written down = potential libel = Slugger.
Send the illiterate million back to Scotland.
[i]Ulster’s my Homeland: Even a sectarian sdhould know that things written down = potential libel = Slugger.[/i]
Your wrong gobshitte.
SMcK,
Fair play to you for having the comments about the Garvagh shootings deleted. They were truly sick – as are some of the comments on here about the deceased children.
Andrew,
Welcome back. You shouldn’t be surprised at the tide of vitriol your vitriolic post has unleashed. What else did you expect?
I didn’t accused you of condoning murder – just of turning a blind eye to the antics of loyalist bully boys – the same sort whose right to parade in Rasharkin you endorse.
I’ll say it again. If the DUP were truly concerned about Protestants in Rasharkin they would use their influence with the loyal orders and the organisers of the band parade to try and calm the situation.
The idea that Daithí McKay controls either the streets of Rasharkin or the agenda of the media is totally ludicrous. I don’t suppose it ever occured to you that nationalists in Rasharkin might be afraid – of loyalist parmailitaries.
Nevin,
You are pedalling unsubstantiated rumour about dead kids FFS! Did you leave your moral compass on the Rathlin ferry?
edukator
apology accepted
“I don’t suppose it ever occured to you that nationalists in Rasharkin might be afraid – of loyalist parmailitaries.”
I accept that. But I have information that would back up what I say.
When contacted last week he wouldn’t allow the media to speak directly to the residents’. Instead he said he would speak for them.
Someone please close down this thread. It makes me sick to think ths the young Quinn boys have now been dragged into this vile ‘debate’. Where the hell is Mick Fealty? Some of the stuff written on page 6 especially is libelous.
Andrew,
apology accepted
Again you misinterpret me.
Ballymoney Resident if it’s true them it’s not libelous, agreed. Trouble is, you’re talking through your arse and worst of all you’re attempting to muddy the water around a callous sectarian murder. For example:
You claimed the mother’s brother was staying in the house at the time.
From the BBC:
‘The boys – Richard Quinn, 11, Mark Quinn, 9, and Jason Quinn, 7 – were asleep in their beds when a petrol bomb was thrown through a window at the rear of their terraced house at about 0430 BST.
Their mother Chrissie, 29, her boyfriend Raymond Craig, 31 and a family friend, Christine Archibald, 18, escaped with minor injuries and are suffering from shock.
He wasn’t there.
Secondly given the context, the sectarian violence across the north at the time, the stockpiles of petrol bombs subsequently found on the Carnany estate it stands to reason why Justice McCollum in his sentencing of UVF member Garfield Gilmore described this as a sectarian act.
It’s sickening that you would attempt to give cover or rationalise the actions of sectarian UVF murderers. You should be ashamed of yourself and I’d again urge someone to remove these remarks.
UMH I’ve never heard of a blogger being sued for slander, it’s in print so AFAIK it’s therefore libel.
http://www.website-law.co.uk/resources/website-libel.html
Andrew Charles,
Where the hell do you get off making out that that edukator chap apologised to you?
6 choosing to move out of an area because they rightly fear for their safety simply does not constitute ethnic cleansing. Please don’t continue to insult our intelligence.
Also, why have you allowed this thread to cotinue gven the libelous comments relating tothe Quinn Family and UMH’s ad hominem attacks whereas when things got the slightest bit hairy on the Andrew MacKinlay thread you closed it down immediately?