17 June 2004 Edition

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PSNI harass Sinn Féin members on Euro polling day

Lurgan, County Armagh

A Sinn Féin activist was stopped at a garage by armed members of the PSNI, who jumped from two armoured cars. The PSNI members were heavily armed and wearing bulletproof jackets

The man was bringing an elderly man home after he cast his vote in the European election when he was accused by the PSNI of driving through a red light at the Silverwood junction. The man denied the trumped up charges but was issued with a £60 fine and had three penalty points added to his licence.

He said the PSNI were monitoring people coming and going to the polling booths. "The PSNI were taking down the car registration numbers of Sinn Féin activists who were ferrying voters to the polling station. This was just the PSNI spying on republicans who were carrying out election work. It was blatant harassment."

Also in Lurgan, the PSNI parked two Land Rovers at the entrance to Tannaghmore Primary School, close to the nationalist Kilwilkee Estate, as voting took place. Two PSNI members who emerged from the Land Rovers stood, wielding machine guns, in the doorway of the school.

Sinn Féin said they were setting out to intimidate voters and complained to the presiding officer of the polling station, who refused to do anything.

Sinn Féin also accused the PSNI in Portadown of trying to prevent people from voting after they a statement was issued claiming that PSNI members were being attacked by youths at Ballyoran Primary School polling station.

When contacted, the presiding officer said no such attack had taken place.

Dungannon, County Tyrone

Sinn Féin Mid-Ulster MLA Francie Molloy accused the British Army of deliberately intimidating voters and election workers outside Saggart polling station.

"Two British Army Land Rovers surrounded the Sinn Féin election caravan parked outside the polling station," he said. "A large number of army personnel left the Land Rovers and patrolled around the entrance to the station, harassing voters and election workers."

Strabane, County Tyrone

Sinn Féin Councillor Brian McMahon and other Sinn Féin members were stopped by members of the PSNI in the Ballycolman area at around 7am, just before polling booths opened. The Sinn Féin members were setting off to put up posters at the polling stations when they were intercepted by the PSNI.

North Belfast

In the Oldpark area of North Belfast, PSNI members were noting down car number plates and harassing election workers throughout the day.

Sinn Féin Assembly member for North Belfast, Kathy Stanton, accused the PSNI of "using harassing tactics in an attempt to stop Sinn Féin voters".

"No wonder the highest number of complaints lodged against the PSNI to the Police Ombudsmans Office came from the Oldpark area," she said. "This was a blatant attempt by the PSNI to stop the rise of Sinn Féin by trying to put obstacles in the way of voters".

West Belfast

PSNI members were filming and photographing voters and cars as they arrived and left the polling station at St Aidan's primary school on the Whiterock Road.

Derry City

British Army patrols have increased in Derry, with a number of vehicle checkpoints set up on the city's outskirts last week.

The increase in British activity came after comments made by the British GOC in the Six Counties Philip Trousdell, who said that more British soldiers will be deployed on the streets of Derry and across the North during the Orange marching season.

A spokesperson for Derry Sinn Féin said the British Government should honour the Good Friday Agreement and immediately begin a programme of demilitarisation rather than sending in extra troops.

"They should begin to demilitarise in the Six Counties, especially in border areas."


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