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Post by Harry on Jul 9, 2009 7:51:04 GMT
Two Orange halls have been vandalised over the weekend.
Sectarian slogans were daubed on the Orange Hall in Rasharkin. It is understood it is the fourth time that the hall has been targeted this year.
In April, two petrol bombs were thrown at the hall on Main Street in the village, causing scorch damage.
Meanwhile, paint has been thrown at the front of Carlisle Circus Orange hall in Belfast. Major renovation work has recently been carried out there.
The hall is the starting point for the Belfast 12 July parade on Monday.
The attacks have been condemned by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.
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Post by Harry on Jul 9, 2009 7:54:00 GMT
Obviously this is purely my own speculation but with the continuous, relentless attacks on Protestants in Rasharkin i knew it would only be a matter of time before something happened in Ballymena in retaliation.
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Post by Harry on Jul 9, 2009 7:54:18 GMT
Three Catholic churches in the Ballymena area have been damaged in sectarian attacks, police have said.
Bottles containing paint were thrown at churches on Crebilly Road and Larne Road.
A church and headstones on the Portglenone Road in Ahoghill were also targeted. Police said the attacks took place early on Thursday morning.
Police have appealed for anyone with information concerning the incidents to contact them.
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Post by Harry on Jul 9, 2009 8:05:57 GMT
A PROTESTANT man has told how he had to flee his home in Rasharkin after a string of sectarian attacks.
Harold Cubitt, 58, and his wife Linda have lived in the village for 25 years but have now left their home at Bamford Park.
But even though they have left the house, the vacant property still came under attack.
Police said they received a report from a member of the public at 7.55am on Saturday that a window was broken at a vacant property at Bamford Park.
They confirmed the Protestant occupants moved out in recent days after several sectarian attacks.
Mr Cubitt fled the house the previous Wednesday and he has told of his disgust that even though he no longer is in the house, it still can't be left alone.
"I had to leave as I got sectarian abuse for several years and there were a number of attacks on the house and cars. Windows were broken and it was constant," he said.
"It has cost me a fortune to move house. But even at the end they could not leave the house alone.
"I left sooner than expected and maybe those who attacked the house at the weekend thought I was still there."
Mr Cubitt was born just three miles outside Rasharkin and his wife was born and reared in the village.
He said he has been targeted for no other reason than he is a Protestant.
Mr Cubitt said he received no contact from Catholic neighbours or from nationalist politicians.
Meanwhile, police are appealing for calm in Rasharkin ahead of an Independent Orange Order parade next week.
n Republicans were last night being blamed for three attacks on Orange halls in north Antrim in 48 hours.
Glarryford Orange Hall in Co Antrim was daubed with republican graffiti on Sunday night when vandals sprayed "IRA" and "Huns out" on the walls of Dromore Hall on the Duneany Road.
The damage was only reported to police yesterday.
In the early hours of Monday, sectarian slogans were also daubed on an Orange Hall in Rasharkin, the fourth time it has been targeted this year.
And on Monday night a petrol bomb failed to ignite at Tullaghans Orange hall, between Rasharkin and Dunloy.
DUP MLA Mervyn Storey, who is set to meet security minister Paul Goggins regarding the attacks, said: "It is clear that republican elements are determined to turn up the heat in the Rasharkin/Dunloy area of north Antrim."
The full article contains 418 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
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Post by Harry on Jul 9, 2009 8:11:51 GMT
Its going to get very nasty and what always happens is the vulnerable people will suffer. Catholic communities will suffer in Ballymena and surrounding areas.
Fucking scum bags the whole lot of them. Let those sectarian Republican bigots meet up with the Loyalist bigots and let them kill each other. Would they do it?? Would they hell cos they are all cowardly yellow bastards who would rather sneak up at night and terrorise innocent people in their homes than actually go toe to toe with anyone.
Sorry for my language but it makes my blood boil why innocent people always kop for it.
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Post by earl on Jul 9, 2009 12:46:44 GMT
Its going to get very nasty and what always happens is the vulnerable people will suffer. Catholic communities will suffer in Ballymena and surrounding areas. Fucking scum bags the whole lot of them. Let those sectarian Republican bigots meet up with the Loyalist bigots and let them kill each other. Would they do it?? Would they hell cos they are all cowardly yellow bastards who would rather sneak up at night and terrorise innocent people in their homes than actually go toe to toe with anyone. Sorry for my language but it makes my blood boil why innocent people always kop for it. Fully agree with you mate and your language is more than suitable for this. Shameful bigoted stuff altogether. Makes you wonder what way this scum were raised. |
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Post by Harry on Jul 9, 2009 15:41:51 GMT
Five Catholic churches in the Ballymena area have been damaged in sectarian attacks.
Paint was thrown at churches on Crebilly Road, Larne Road, Cullybackey and Portglenone.
A church and headstones on the Portglenone Road in Ahoghill were also targeted. The attacks took place early on Thursday morning.
Elsewhere, a car was driven into the grounds of a GAA club in the Ahoghill area and set on fire.
Police said the gates to the premises on the Crosskeys Road were forced open during the incident, but no damage was caused to the building or pitch.
They are investigating the possibility that this attack may be linked to the other incidents in the Ballymena and Ahoghill areas.
The Mayor of Ballymena, James Currie, said the attacks were not a "true reflection" of life in the area.
"It does nothing to attract business, to attract tourists and I condemn it on all sides," the Ulster Unionist councillor said.
"I condemn the people who damage Orange halls, I condemn the people who damage Roman Catholic churches.
"They are not helping this country or any citizen of it one iota."
SDLP MLA for North Antrim, Declan O'Loan, said the attack was a "disgraceful episode for the Ballymena area".
"Generally, Ballymena has been much more settled recently but there has been a state of nervousness and tension in the area, particularly about the flags disputes that has now manifested into these attacks," he said.
"It's reminiscent of the type of thing that happened not too many years ago when we used to hear of attacks happening through the night all too often, but we've had nothing like that for a good period of time so it's certainly very worrying and very distressing."
Reverend Finlay said he condemned the attacks
Presbyterians in Ballymena have condemned the overnight attacks on Catholic churches in the area.
Reverend John Finlay, minister of Harryville Presbyterian church in Ballymena, said he completely condemned the attacks.
"I am so sorry that it has happened, we have very good relationships with our Roman Catholic neighbours and we would express our solidarity with them," the former Presbyterian Moderator said.
"We thought these sort of things things were consigned to the past."
A bin was set alight against the wall of an Orange hall on the Whitewell Road in Newtownabbey on Wednesday night.
The blaze was extinguished by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. It is not known how much damage was caused.
DUP culture minister and North Belfast MLA Nelson McCausland described the incident as a "despicable act of intolerant bigotry".
Meanwhile, two cars were destroyed in a suspicious fire in Rathfriland, County Down, on Thursday morning.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident which happened in the Cross Heights area.
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Post by earl on Jul 9, 2009 16:29:50 GMT
Eye for an eye makes us all blind.
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Post by An Fear Dubh on Jul 9, 2009 19:36:05 GMT
I agree with you Harry. And to go back to a point you made previously, the media is not reporting these attacks in Rasharkin or attacks in other areas. But we had world wide media attention for one large extended family of ethnic orgin who were attacked in South Belfast. It seems that local people have no value.
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Post by Blue Angel on Jul 9, 2009 20:19:40 GMT
The point with that family was of course it was a 'new' kind of bigotry for many outside observers in the North who could lick their lips and go 'ah sure it's only them ones up there at it again', in a self-satisfied voyeuristic way.
Personally if anyone thinks they are striking a blow for Ireland or defending Britain by attacking respectively Orange Halls with paint or Catholic Churches with the same the word f***wit was purpose made for such individuals.
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Post by Jim on Jul 9, 2009 21:19:42 GMT
I wouldnt put it down to local people having no value; its been so common that it just doesnt make news anymore unless it is a vicious assault, it just happens, it is accepted and it has been happening since the days before partition.
Romanians and Poles are new to NI, we know little about them and they're doing what the Irish done for generations; cheap labour. They're known throughout Europe for this and we seem to have made a name for ourselves through those attacks.
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Post by Blue Angel on Jul 9, 2009 21:28:33 GMT
as ever showing that just because one group suffers from prejudice never means that next generation alonmg they won't be the ones perpetuating it.
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Post by Harry on Jul 10, 2009 7:47:46 GMT
I agree with you Harry. And to go back to a point you made previously, the media is not reporting these attacks in Rasharkin or attacks in other areas. But we had world wide media attention for one large extended family of ethnic orgin who were attacked in South Belfast. It seems that local people have no value. Exactly AFD, what is happening in Rasharkin is ethnic cleansing in my opinion. They are systematically removing every Protestant from the area. This is a complete disgrace. I'm not saying as Protestants we have more rights than Romanians but surely we must have the same rights, no?? The racist incidents made national news. We are a complete warped nation where we can burn people out because of religion and it causes little reaction but we go into over drive if it is racist?? I understand that racism is a new problem but it is no greater than sectarianism. In fact our obsession with sectarianism is what fuels the racism. |
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Post by Wasp on Jul 10, 2009 22:05:26 GMT
An elderly couple who were put out of their home in Sommerset after 40 odd years went on reported as per usual in mainstream media and this was before Mr McDaid's death. Only after the Catholic churchs were targeted did the media show a bit more focus on that Rasharkin family.
Those who target any place of worship, any place of culture or anyplace that has any type of religious services in need locked up and I condemn all these attacks equally.
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Post by Harry on Jul 13, 2009 14:56:05 GMT
There have been a number of sectarian attacks in the north Antrim area over the weekend.
An Ancient Order of Hibernians hall was broken into in the Rosnashane area outside Ballymoney on Sunday night.
Paint was thrown inside the hall and a number of musical instruments were damaged.
Meanwhile, a petrol bomb was thrown at an Orange hall at Main Street in Rasharkin on Sunday evening. It failed to ignite.
A 38-year-old man has been charged with attempted arson in relation to the attack.
He is to appear at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Monday morning.
Just before midnight on Saturday, two petrol bombs were thrown at a house on the Lisnahunshin Road in Rasharkin. These devices also failed to ignite.
Sectarian graffiti was also daubed on the Orange hall in Rasharkin over the weekend. This separate incident was reported on Saturday morning.
We need to see strong leadership from parents to ensure that young people are not being pulled in by outside influences
Daithi McKay, Sinn Fein
In Fermanagh, the Wattlebridge Orange Hall near Newtownbutler was smoke damaged after a tyre was set alight and placed against the wall of the property at about 0300 BST on Monday.
In a separate incident, the door of a church hall in High Street was damaged by vandals.
DUP MLA Ian Paisley said he spent most of Sunday in Rasharkin trying to bring calm.
"It has got to stop, there is no excuse. I think what we also have to see is the community rising up to that," he said.
"They will get support and if they know anyone involved in these attacks... they should give them over and allow the proper processes of law and order to take its course and put these people behind bars."
Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay said he believed a "handful of people" from outside the area were responsible for the attacks.
"Certainly in the case of Rasharkin, people are coming from outside the area to try and lead young people astray," he continued.
"So we need to see strong leadership from people living in the area and we need to see strong leadership from parents to ensure that young people are not being pulled in by outside influences."
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