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POLICE SAID I WAS LUCKY TO BE ALIVE
Loyalists wielding iron bars attack Catholic girl in drinking club f.
A CATHOLIC teenager has said police told her she is lucky to be alive following a terrifying sectarian aassault by a loyalist mob at a south Belfast drinking club where she went with a Protestant friend.
The 18-year-old from the Falls Road area of West Belfast was beaten by a crowd of men and women in the Rangers Supporters Bar on Barrington Street, off Donegal Road, on Saturday night. Her 21-year-old Protestant friend has since fled her flat after being warned that she was under threat from the UVF for bringing a Catholic into the area. The two women fled the club pursued by a mob wielding iron bars. They barricaded themselves into the flat on Donegall Road until police arrived and escorted them to safety. The thugs have since boasted on social-network sites about attacking a Catholic. The incident happened close to where Margaret Wright was murdered in 1994. She was beaten and shot at a loyalist drinking club at Meridi Street on Donegal Road after being mistaken for a Catholic.
The 18-year-old told The Irish News that she had required medical treatment. “I didn’t think I was in any danger,” she said. “I have Protestant friends. I treat everyone the same. “They were punching me and I was asking, ‘What did I do wrong ?’ When we were locked in the flat they were outside screaming, ‘Get the Fenian out of here’. “I thought were going to be killed. I haven’t slept properly since.” Her mother said : “I sent my child to intergrated college because she is from a generation born into peace who should be able to socialise with each other without worrying about religion or background. “I just want this to be a warning to other young people who may be naive to the dangers that still exist. A PSNI/RUC spokesman said : “Police in south Belfast are investigating the circumstances surronding an assult in the Donegal Road area on Saturday May 4 in which two women were assulted. “Police received reports of the assults at around midnight on Saturday and then a further report of damage being caused to the frount door of a property nearby by a crowd shortly after.”
With many thanks to : Allison Morris, Irish News.
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- Psni/ruc Cherry-picking in It’s Approach to Loyalism ! (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- PSNI chief ‘is a disgrace’ (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
- Loyalists condemn PSNI Welsh talks (newsletter.co.uk)
- Stop-and-search Operations Ruled Unlawful (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
PSNI/RUC CHERRY-PICKING IN IT’S APPROACH TO LOYALISM !
Faced with an unworkable law, the PSNI/RUC has plainly decided to ignore it where there are no local objections. Faced with ensuring claims of pro-republican bias, the PSNI is now plainly allowing a loyalist free-for-all in East Belfast whether or not.
EAST BELFAST has been surrendered to the UVF. The PSNI made that crystal clear in its response to the erection of ’1913′ UVF flags along Belmont Road. These flags were ” not related to a proscribed oorganization “, the PSNI declared after residents complained.
Real:-) sly? Men in balaclavers block the road with a cherry picker, put up flags emblazoned with the historical antecedent of a proscribed organisation then angrily defend themselves via the Twitter accounts of the UVF’s political wing, yet that is not “related” to the proscribed UVF? We are down the rabbit hole here, instructed like Alice in Wonderland to beleive six imposible things before breakfast. When the media challenged the “not related” statement the PSNI went queit for a couple of hours before claiming there had been “no breaches of traffic legislation relating to the erection of flags “. Really? So anyone can slip on a belaclava and a high-visabilty jacket and direct cars about with pompous little hard-man aggression? The roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 makes it an offence punishable by a £500 fine to “in any way obstruct the free passage along a road without lawful authority “. It also requires ayone planning to obstruct a road to consult with the relevant Stormont department. This is not an obscrue piece of legislation.
Any business erecting an unauthorised sign will be fined under another section of the same order, as Belfasts Apartment Bar found out before Christmas when it hung a banner in its window to attract customers deterred by the flag protests. The flag protests are of course what this is all about. An appearance of peace has been restored to East Belfast by taking fringe figures out of circulation while unofficially authorising the UVF to control the streets. One of the chief grievances aired by loyalists during the flag protests was that the law is not being evenly applied, with republicans allowed to flaunt paramilitary symbolism and displays in ‘their’ areas while plotting to expunge all lawful British symbols. In fairness to the PSNI/RUC, it is hard to see how New Labour‘s ridiculous anti-terrorism legislation could ever be applied to the North of Ireand, evenly or otherwise.
Under the Terrorism Act 2006, which applies to the whole United Kingdom, it is a criminal offence punishable by up to seven years in jail to “glorify the commission or preparation” of acts of terrorism “whether in the past, in the future or generally”. This covers just about every statement, publication, parade, event and mural by every republican and loyalist group. Many of our political parties fall foul of it regularly, as does almost the entire programme for the ‘ decade of centenaries ‘. Faced with an unworkable law, the PSNI/RUC has plainly decided to ignore it where there are no local objections. Faced with ensuring claims of pro-republican bias, the PSNI/RUC is now plainly allowing a loyalist free-for-all in East Belfast whether locals object or not. However, the excuse of unworkable law only takes the police so far. Since 2005 the offical Joint Protocal in Relation to the Display of Flags in Pubic Areas has supposedly provided a workable compromise, requiring ‘ community represtatives ‘ to reach aggreement on flags with residents, the PSNI/RUC and govermemeant agencies.
Years of pprogress through the protocol were thrown away in 2011 when the PSNI/RUC apologised to the UVF for taking down a sectarian loyalist flag outside a Catholic Church in Ballyclare, despite the agreement the flag had breached and the loyalist rioting that followed. Now the PSNI/RUC is apapparently happy to involve only the ‘ community representives ‘. Responding to complaints from residents and politations that nobody had been coconsulted over the East Belfast UVF flags, a PSNI/RUC spokesman blithely declared that “organisers have given their assurances that these flags will be removed immediately following next Saturday’s parade”. Hence the PSNI/RUC is largely to blame when it complains that the flag protocol is redundent.
As cricriticism of its surrender in East Belfast mounted, the PSNI/RUC piously announced that ” the only long-term solution to the display of flags in public areas will be reached by political consensus “, adding that it looked forward to an “updated protocal” from Stormont. This sounded very much like passing the buck for the consequences of its appeasenent policy, just as the PSNI/RUC tried to do to the Parades Comnission during the height of the flag protests, requiring the commission to give the chief constable a public lecture on the law. When it comes to symbolising the PSNI/RUC, the law and loyalism, a cherry picker couldn’t be beaten.
Some of the wording has been changed -
But many thanks to : Newton Emerson, Irish News.
elated articles
- Concerns after UVF flags erected in east Belfast (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
- Police to meet groups over UVF flags (bbc.co.uk)
- Concerns after UVF flags erected in east Belfast by ‘masked men’ (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
- Flag riot probe: 17 images of suspects released (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
- 49 Serving Psni/ruc Officers Paid With Taxpayers Money to Uphold the Law Convicted of Crimes ! (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- PSNI urges political deal on flags (belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
MI5/MI6 MEET UVF JUST WEEKS AFTER DUBLIN-MONAGHAN BOMBINGS
Attacks not mentioned at secret meeting.
A HIGH-ranking member of MI5/MI6 met a UVF delegation just weeks after the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Secret papers reveal that four men from the loyalist paramilitary group met with senior intelligence officer Michael Oatley aafter it had detonated bombs in Dublin and Monaghan in May 1974, killing 33 people.
Senior British government official James Allan also attended the meeting on May 27 at a house in Hollywood, Co Down, known as Laneside. A long-serving MI6 operator, Mr Oatley had strong contacts with both republican and loyalist groups througout the Troubles and is beleived to have been instrumental in the process that ultimatley resulted in the Provisional IRA calling its 1994 ceasefire. The UVF delegation comprised West Belfast man Ken Gibson, beleived to have been the leader of the UVF in 1974, and three other men who are named in the recently uncovered document. Laneside was regulary used by British officils as a discreet location to meet and hold talks with both loyalists and nationalist representatives in the 1970′s. Staffed by various Northern Ireland Office and British government officials, it was also used by officers of MI6, the international arm of the British Secret Services. Documents recentiy uncovered by the Pat Finucance Centre in Derry reveal that MI6 officials meet the four-stong UVF delegation ovef two days. The meetings took place less than two weeks after three UVF bombs exploded in Dublin and one in Monaghan as the Ulster Workers Strike was nearing an end. Despite this, no mention of the atrocities was made during the minutes.
Instead, in a summary of the meeting prepared by James Allan, it has emerged he was keen to protect senior UVF men from arrest. ” The UVF’s relationship with us has become very stange,” he said. ” They are desperately in need of advice as to how to achieve their aims of ensuring working class, and above all UVF participation in politics and they seek this even though they know that there are basic differences between them and HMG on the strike. ” Further, they are clearly worried that their position may be undermined by arrest of UVF leaders. (I beleive we should think very carefully before action is taken vis a vis UVF politicals and I should be greatful to have the opportunity to comment on possible arrest lists).” Two days later, on May 29, Ken Gibson and a second UVF man returned to Laneside for more talks. During these discussions it emerged that the UVF leaders claimed both they and former first minister, then leader of the DUP, Ian Paisley, now Lord Bannside, were supportive of talks with republicans.
The government summary of the meeting said : ” Despite their rough words in public politicians, including Rev Ian Paisley, were in favour of conversations with the IRA.” It would be more than three decades before the DUP leader finally went into goverenment with Sinn Fein at the Stormont assembly. The UVF men also revealed their support for the Price sisters, Dolours and Marian, who at the time were on hungerstrike in an English jail.”ThePrice sisters should be returned to Ireland as should loyalist prisoners like Billy Campbell held in Scotland,” reported James Allan. ” Mr Gibson suggested the loyalist leaders would probably start a ccampaign for the return of all such prisoners. ” Part of their aim in doing so would show solidarity with republicans.” Margaret Irwin from Justice for the Forgotten, a group that represents the families of those killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, said she was concerned about the files. ” The thing that is very disturbing is that the British government were considering not arresting UVF leaders especially coming in the wake of the bombings,” she said. ” It brings home the importance of the British government being up front in relation to undisclosed files.”
- The full files can be seen at
- http://www.patfinucanecentre.org
With many thanks to : Connia Young, Irish News.
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TODAY MARKS THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MURDER OF LEGENDARY FREEDOM FIGHTER JOE MCCANN
In another incident McCann led a unit which captured 3 UVF members in Sandy Row. The UVF had raided an OIRA arms dump earlier that day and the OIRA announced they would execute the three prisoners if the weapons were not returned. McCann eventually released the three UVF members because they were “working class men like yourself”.
His most famous act came on 9 August 1971 when his unit took over the Inglis bakery in the Markets area and fortified it after the introduction of internment without trial by the Northern Ireland authorities. They defended it throughout the night from an incursion by 600 British soldiers, looking to arrest suspects. The action allowed other IRA members to slip out of the area and avoid arrest. He was photographed during the incident, holding an M1 carbine, against the background of a burning building and the Starry Plough flag; one of the most striking early images of The Troubles.
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- Do you really beleive that the UVF/RHC are really on Ceasefire ??? (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- Shoot-to-kill” inquest opens after 22 years of lies (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- British army watched as loyalists shot dead IRA man, report finds (guardian.co.uk)
UDA ‘ Forced family from home over Ireland T-Shirt !
A Protestant mother of three has claimed the UDA forced her family from her Coleraine home after one of her children was seen wearing an Ireland T-shirt.
The woman said her house was petrol-bombed because her 18-year-old son was spotted wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan ‘I support Ireland’ – in support of the country’s sports teams.
The woman was in her home with two young daughters in their home in the loyalist Millburn area, when a device was thrown through her window, which failed to ignite.
John Dallat, MLA, said the UDA still had a grip on the area and the outlawed group “have an appalling history of abuse towards anyone who disagrees with them”.
WITH MANY THANKS TO : BELFAST TELEGRAPH.
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Report: British troops at loyalist killing scene !
The revelations centre on a controversial attack where three republicans were ambushed minutes after they left a police station in Lurgan, Co Armagh, in 1990.
Former republican prisoner Sam Marshall was killed in a hail of automatic gunfire, but the presence nearby of a red Maestro car, later found to be a military intelligence vehicle, sparked claims of a security force role in the killing.
It has now emerged the car was one of six vehicles in a major surveillance operation involving eight armed undercover soldiers – and though the loyalist killers launched the attack within yards of armed troops and escaped – investigators said there was no evidence of state collusion with the gunmen.
But John Marshall, a brother of the 31-year-old murder victim, said: “All we had heard about before this was the Maestro. But now, this has opened a big can of worms.”
The three republicans – who included Colin Duffy who was acquitted in January of murdering two soldiers at Massereene army base in Antrim – had been signing in at the Lurgan police station as part of bail conditions for charges of possession of ammunition.
The presence of the Maestro, and questions over how the loyalists knew when the republican trio would be leaving the police station, sparked major controversy in the 1990s and led the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) and government to deny anything suspicious had taken place.
A review of the unsolved case by the police Historical Enquiries Team (HET) has now found:
:: At least eight undercover soldiers were deployed near the killing, with their commander monitoring from a remote location;
:: The armed military intelligence personnel at the scene were in six cars, including the noted red Maestro;
:: Two plainclothed soldiers with camera equipment were in an observation post at the entrance of the police station as the three republicans arrived and left;
:: Two undercover soldiers followed the republicans on foot, and were within 50-100 yards of the attack, but said they did not to see the killing in which the gunmen fired 49 shots;
:: After the two masked loyalists jumped from a Rover car and started shooting, the troops did not return fire, claiming it was out of their line of sight and too far away, but alerted colleagues who launched an unsuccessful search for the killers. Despite being in a republican area, the soldiers make no reference to feeling at risk from the gunmen.
:: The killers’ guns are believed to have been used in four other murders and an attempted murder. Weapons of the same type have been linked by police to seven further killings and four attempted murders carried out in 1988/89;
:: The RUC found gloves near the gang’s burned-out getaway car, but the gloves were subsequently lost;
:: The RUC sought to deny the existence of a surveillance operation by giving “misleading or incomplete” statements. But RUC Special Branch had briefed the undercover troops;
:: Investigators could not rule in, or rule out, that the RUC leaked information to the loyalists. But they said the killers may have gathered their own intelligence.
The HET praised much of the original RUC investigation and found no new lines of inquiry on the attack which was claimed by the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
But the Marshall family has said the review of the case – which did not reinterview the soldiers but relied on RUC statements from the time – has only served to raise further questions.
Sam Marshall, his brother-in-law Tony McCaughey, and Colin Duffy, were known to the security forces and were high-profile republicans.
John Marshall said: “The gunmen meant to kill the three men that night, and it went wrong. The other two guys lived to tell the tale.”
Lurgan, a town half an hour down the M1 motorway from Belfast, was an area that witnessed intense violence and was at the heart of a region dubbed the Murder Triangle.
Sam Marshall, who was a Sinn Fein member, was sentenced to seven years for arson as a teenager and took part in IRA protests for political status while he was held in the top-security Maze prison.
But John Marshall said any suggestion of state collusion in his killing had to be probed. “We always believed that the state forces were to protect law and order,” he said.
His brother Gary highlighted the links to other loyalist killings and said: “People need to know what was actually going on.”
A police investigation into a robbery in Belfast led to the arrest of two loyalists later convicted for supplying the killers’ car. The gunmen have never been identified.
Related articles
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Verdicts being delivered in supergrass trial
An artist’s impression of the defendants and prison officers in the dock
The verdicts are being delivered in the UVF supergrass trial in Belfast.
Neil Pollock, 36, of Fortwilliam Gardens in Belfast, has been convicted of possessing items intended for terrorism.
The trial, which ended last month after 71 days, was one of the longest and most expensive in Northern Ireland’s legal history.
It relied on the evidence of so-called supergrasses, Robert and Ian Stewart.
The BBC’s Ireland Correspondent, Mark Simpson, said about 200 people were in the courtroom on Wednesday, including armed police.
It is understood the judgement is about 123 pages long, but the judge is reading out an abbreviated version.
The first verdict was tweeted from court, but then the judge banned reporters from using Twitter.
Thirteen men had been charged with more than 30 offences including the murder of rival loyalist Tommy English, kidnapping, and UVF membership.
They include the alleged former UVF leader in north Belfast Mark Haddock.
The accused
- Mark Haddock (43), Maghaberry Prison
- David Miller (40), Upritchard Court, Bangor
- John Bond (45), Essex Court, Carrickfergus
- Darren Stuart Moore (42), Mount Vernon Park, Belfast
- Alexander Thomas Wood (35), Milewater Way, Newtownabbey
- Jason Loughlin (36), Bryson Court, Newtownabbey
- Ronald Trevor Bowe (35), Ross House, Belfast
- Samuel Jason Higgins (36), The Meadow, Antrim
- Neil Pollock (36), Fortwilliam Gardens, Belfast
- David Samuel McCrum (32), Beechgrove Drive, Newtownabbey
- William Hinds (47), Ballycraigy Gardens, Newtownabbey
- Mark Thompson (37), Ballyvesey Green, Newtownabbey
- Phillip Laffin (34), Bridge Street, Antrim
Accused of Mr English’s murder along with Mark Haddock are David Miller, 40; Alex Wood, 35; John Bond, 45; Darren Moore, 42; Ronald Bowe, 35; Samuel Higgins, 36; Jason Loughlin, 36, and Philip Laffin, 34.
They also face other charges including UVF membership, wounding, possessing guns and hijacking.
The others who deny offences such as assisting offenders and perverting justice are William Hinds, 47, David McCrum, 32, and Mark Thompson, 37.
The trial began last September.
Much of it has been taken up by the testimonies of Robert and Ian Stewart.
They have admitted UVF membership, and already served more than three years for their part in the murder of Mr English on Halloween night 2000.
The Ulster Defence Association member was shot dead in front of his wife and children at his home on the Ballyduff estate at the height of a loyalist feud between the UVF and UDA.
Related Stories
- Supergrass trial lasted 71 days 22 FEBRUARY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
- History of the supergrass system 22 FEBRUARY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
- UVF supergrass accused ‘silent’ 24 JANUARY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
- Judge throws out some UVF charges 20 JANUARY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
- UVF trial witness ‘got HET money’ 09 JANUARY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
- Judge visits scene of UVF murder 09 DECEMBER 2011, NORTHERN IRELAND
WITH MANY THANKS TO : BBC NEWS NI.
Related articles
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RUC APPROVED AND COLLUDED IN 25 MURDERS – REPORT
Justice at last for the forgotten victims of sectarian murder in Dundalk
US academic has described his shock at the extent of
apparent British security force collusion in loyalist
paramilitary murders in Northern Ireland.
University of Notre Dame human rights law Professor Douglass
Cassel was commenting after an international investigation
he headed uncovered considerable and credible evidence of
British Army and police collusion in 74 sectarian murders
during the 1970s.
The probe of 25 loyalist atrocities, carried out by a panel
of human rights experts from around the world, found senior
Royal Ulster Constabulary officers were aware and approved
of collusion while officials in London had enough
information to intervene.
The panel`s report also called on the British Government to
appoint an independent inquiry to examine how high up the
chain of command collusion went.
Professor Cassel told the Press Association at the Belfast
presentation of the report: “Personally I was shocked. The
British Government has a reputation around the world as one
of the leading democracies and one of the longest histories
of the rule of law.”
“To find this extent of collusion in murders in the 25
incidents we investigated was shocking.”
The panel was asked by the Derry-based human rights
organisation, the Pat Finucane Centre, to investigate
allegations of collusion in 25 loyalist attacks from October
1972 to February 1977 – most of which are linked to a
loyalist gang known as the Glenanne group.
Among the incidents they investigated were the May 1974
Dublin Monaghan bombings which claimed 33 lives, the Miami
Showband massacre in July 1975 during which three musicians
and two members of the Ulster Volunteer Force gang died and
the shooting of Catholic policeman Sergeant Joe Campbell in
February 1977.
In only one case, the group was unable to reach a verdict on
collusion because of conflicting accounts – the murder of
51-year-old driver James Marks and 78-year-old passenger
Joseph Toland in a gun attack in Gilford, Co Armagh, on a
minibus returning from bingo.
The panel also met members of three organisations
representing republican victims of violence – Families
Acting for Innocent Relatives, SAVER/NAVER, both in
Markethill, Co Armagh, and the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast
which caters for the victims of loyalist violence too.
Among the stories they heard were the murder of a woman in
an acid and petrol bomb attack on a bus in Armagh in 1972,
the shooting of a man pulled from a digger in Mullaghbawn
and shot dead as he cleaned drains on his farm, the killing
of three UDR men when a lorry carrying a 1,000lb bomb rolled
into their barracks at Glenanne in 1991 and a South Armagh
farmer`s account of the intimidation of Protestants who were
driven from their land.
They also heard allegations by at least one former RUC man
that the Irish Republic`s police, the Gardai, was not
co-operative in bringing to justice IRA fugitives who fled
across the border.
While the panel`s remit was to probe collusion in loyalist
killings, Professor Cassel confirmed today: “There are some
allegations we received of alleged failure of the Garda or
the Irish authorities to properly co-operate with law
enforcement in cases of violence against loyalists here in
Northern Ireland.”
“We will certainly be raising that with the Irish Government.”
The report called for:
:: Investigations by an independent team into allegations of
collusion in murders and attempted murders by loyalists,
capable of identifying those involved, examining how high up
the chain of command it went and focusing not just on RUC
and UDR involvement but also British Army and intelligence
agencies;
:: Investigations into murders carried out by republican groups;
:: Full co-operation by paramilitary groups on both sides
with credible official investigations into collusion;
:: The publishing of the findings of all investigations,
including those by the Historical Enquiries Team which
currently plans only to share its findings with victims`
families;
:: The state to acknowledge publicly its responsibility in
sectarian killings where collusion is established;
:: Public apologies from senior officials to the families of
victims of collusion.
________________________________________________________
The Irish American Information Service is a non-profit organization
providing up-to-the-minute political news from Ireland to the world.
The IAIS is funded entirely by your contributions. Please send your
tax-deductible contributions to IAIS at the 907 F St NE, Washington
DC 20002. You can visit us on the Web at http://www.iais.org
Source: Irish-American Information Service (IAIS), e-mail bulletin.
See also:
The Pat Finucane Centre, Derry, statement, 3 November 2006: INVITATION TO THE LAUNCH OF THE REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON ALLEGED COLLUSION IN SECTARIAN KILLINGS IN NORTHERN IRELAND . . .
See: Irish Times/ireland.com, 6 November 2006: Garda Castigated In Report On North Collusion
BBC News online, 6 November 2006: Security ‘Links’ To Murder Plots
Ulster Television News online, 6 November 2006: US academic shocked by report’s findings
Belfast Telegraph, 7 November 2006 Collusion: PSNI team ‘not capable of getting to truth’ Orde defends cold case team after international criticism
The Irish Daily Mirror, 7 November 2006: Shock report alleges high-level collusion Officials ‘had information on 25 atrocities’ RUC & Army ‘helped loyalists carry out. . 74 MURDERS
The Irish Daily Mirror, 7 November 2006: So many victims
The Irish Examiner, 7 November 2006: Evidence found of British collusion in bombings
The Guardian, 7 November 2006: RUC and army ‘backed killers’
The Irish-American Information Service, 7 November 2006: PRESSURE ON BRITISH TO INVESTIGATE COLLUSION EVIDENCE
The Irish News, 7 November 2006: Questions haunt probe into loyalist collusion.
The Dundalk Democrat, 15 November 2006:‘We just want the truth’ New investigation into 1975 bombing
Produced in association with the Ludlow Family.
Last edited: 19 November 2006 16:51:48
Visit the Ludlow family’s website. Visit Justice for the Forgotten Statement by John Oliver Weir
Download the Barron Report (pdf file) on the Dundalk bombing.
Download the Barron Inquiry Report into the 17 May 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, (pdf file)
Barron Report: on the Dublin Bombings of 1972 and 1973, can also be downloaded in pdf form
Download the Barron Report into the murder of Seamus Ludlow from the Oireachtas website (pdf file)
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Loughinisland victims’ families begin legal challenge to police report
Barney Green, at 87, became the oldest victim of the Northern Ireland Troubles when he was shot dead in Loughinisland in 1994. Photograph: Pacemaker Press
Relatives of those who died in atrocity seek to overturn finding that there was no evidence of collusion between police and UVF
Families of victims gunned down in a bar by loyalists while watching Ireland beat Italy in the 1994 World Cup have started legal action to overturn a police ombudsman report into the massacre.
The relatives of those shot dead in the Loughinisland atrocity are challenging the report’s conclusions that there was no evidence of collusion between the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gang responsible and the police.
Lawyers and families of the dead believe the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) investigation was compromised because a number of those directly involved in the shooting were police informers. However, before being able to challenge the report, they are contesting a decision to refuse legal aid.
A judge has granted permission to seek a judicial review of the funding denial, after no opposition was raised at this stage. A full hearing on that preliminary issue will take place in June and the challenge to the ombudsman’s report is expected to follow this summer.
Six Catholic men were shot dead when the UVF sprayed the Heights bar in Loughinisland, County Down, with gunfire on 18 June 1994 – the night the Republic of Ireland played Italy in New York.
Among those who died in the attack was Barney Green, who at 87 was the oldest victim of the Northern Ireland Troubles. Five other men were seriously wounded.
No one has been convicted of the murders, although 16 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.
In June last year, the outgoing police ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Al Hutchinson, found there was not enough evidence of collusion between police and the loyalist gang, although he did identify failings in the investigation, criticising it for a lack of diligence, focus and leadership.
The legal challenge into his report will focus on a Criminal Justice Inspectorate review of Troubles-related investigations
WITH MANY THANKS TO : View this story on the Guardian
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UVF behind attack on Catholic crew
Loyalist paramilitaries were behind the vicious attack on a Catholic teenager working on a film set in South Belfast this week, the SBN can reveal.
UVF thugs embarked on the brutal assault on an 18-year-old film extra in the Village last Friday (January 6), after discovering Catholic teenagers from the Short Strand were working on the film.
Since the vicious attack, which saw the teenager badly beaten, placed in a wheelie bin and left for dead, local UVF men have visited a local community centre which hosted the film crew to warn them not to bring anyone else into the area “without their permission”.
With many Thanks to : Loyalist paramilitaries were behind the vicious attack on a Catholic teenager working on a film set in South Belfast this week, the SBN can reveal.
UVF thugs embarked on the brutal assault on an 18-year-old film extra in the Village last Friday (January 6), after discovering Catholic teenagers from the Short Strand were working on the film.
Since the vicious attack, which saw the teenager badly beaten, placed in a wheelie bin and left for dead, local UVF men have visited a local community centre which hosted the film crew to warn them not to bring anyone else into the area “without their permission”.
The paramilitary group also ordered community workers not to speak to the press about the attack, saying “there would be consequences” if they disobeyed.
The crew, which was filming for a number of days for the movie The Good Man starring The Wire actor Aiden Gillen, were in and around Frenchpark Street and Ebor Street on the day of the attack. They had been using the nearby Windsor Women’s Centre as a base of operations while continuing to film around the Village.
However around 3.50pm, a group of loyalists confronted the crew, hurling sectarian insults and threats. As the crew went to drive off, 18-year-old James Turley was caught by the mob who beat him severely before placing him in a wheelie bin. The vicious assault only stopped when his attackers thought he was dead.
Village sources, who were too frightened to be named, said the UVF were “obviously upset Catholics were in the area” with one adding “they were making no money from a film being made here”.
Another source told how UVF men subsequently visited Windsor Women’s Centre on Monday (January 9) and threatened staff.
“The community workers were told no-one else was to be allowed into the Village without the UVF’s permission. It shows the influence they are still trying to exert on this area.
“The staff were also told they were forbidden from going to the press about the incident or there would be consequences. It’s the same old thing down here with them trying to run things.
“There were a few local lads also involved in the film so it was helping this area out. I don’t like to see stuff like this happening because the Village gets enough bad press as it is but it’s horrible to see.”
Susan Picken of Manifesto Films, the company making the film, said she would think twice about returning to the Village for future shoots.
“Filming there was a very positive experience for most of the time and the local community were brilliant to us. It’s a shame something like this has happened and I wouldn’t want anything to reflect badly on the people we worked with.
“I have no idea about paramilitary involvement and I wouldn’t want to comment on that. All I can say is the people we dealt with were absolutely brilliant but working there again would be something we would need to look at very carefully.”
The PSNI refused to say if it was examining the paramilitary link to the attack saying only they were treating it as sectarian.
A police spokesperson appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 0845 600 8000.
The paramilitary group also ordered community workers not to speak to the press about the attack, saying “there would be consequences” if they disobeyed.
The crew, which was filming for a number of days for the movie The Good Man starring The Wire actor Aiden Gillen, were in and around Frenchpark Street and Ebor Street on the day of the attack. They had been using the nearby Windsor Women’s Centre as a base of operations while continuing to film around the Village.
However around 3.50pm, a group of loyalists confronted the crew, hurling sectarian insults and threats. As the crew went to drive off, 18-year-old James Turley was caught by the mob who beat him severely before placing him in a wheelie bin. The vicious assault only stopped when his attackers thought he was dead.
Village sources, who were too frightened to be named, said the UVF were “obviously upset Catholics were in the area” with one adding “they were making no money from a film being made here”.
Another source told how UVF men subsequently visited Windsor Women’s Centre on Monday (January 9) and threatened staff.
“The community workers were told no-one else was to be allowed into the Village without the UVF’s permission. It shows the influence they are still trying to exert on this area.
“The staff were also told they were forbidden from going to the press about the incident or there would be consequences. It’s the same old thing down here with them trying to run things.
“There were a few local lads also involved in the film so it was helping this area out. I don’t like to see stuff like this happening because the Village gets enough bad press as it is but it’s horrible to see.”
Susan Picken of Manifesto Films, the company making the film, said she would think twice about returning to the Village for future shoots.
“Filming there was a very positive experience for most of the time and the local community were brilliant to us. It’s a shame something like this has happened and I wouldn’t want anything to reflect badly on the people we worked with.
“I have no idea about paramilitary involvement and I wouldn’t want to comment on that. All I can say is the people we dealt with were absolutely brilliant but working there again would be something we would need to look at very carefully.”
The PSNI refused to say if it was examining the paramilitary link to the attack saying only they were treating it as sectarian.
With Many Thanks to : Scott Jamison
A police spokesperson appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 0845 600 8000.
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