Unionist thuggery in North Belfast

TWO CATHOLIC churches were targeted by loyalist bomb hoaxers on Friday 6 February just hours after loyalist bomber Robert Colgan was convicted of a previous attack on one of the North Belfast chapels.

St Mary's on the Hill in Carnmoney and St Mary's Star of the Sea on the Shore Road were targeted on Friday night in the double alert.

British army bomb squads carried out controlled explosions on the devices which turned out to be hoaxes.

Just hours prior to the bomb scares, loyalist Robert Colgan was convicted of a series of bomb attacks and bomb making including an attack on St Mary's on the Hill in 2013 at the height of the so-called 'flag protests'.

Also in North Belfast, on Saturday 7 February, a young soccer player was assaulted by a loyalist gang after a game between Crumlin Star and Woodvale FC at the Clarendon Park pitches off the Crumlin Road.

The 17-year-old was struck over the head by a man wielding a dog chain before he was dragged to the ground and beaten.

According to eyewitnesses he was saved from more serious injury when a player from the Woodvale team intervened.

A number of other people suffered minor injuries and cars were damaged in what has been described as an “orchestrated attack” by the loyalist gang.

Sinn Féin councillor Gerard McCabe is now calling on Belfast City Council to do more to ensure the safety of people using it's facilities while highlighting the “increase in sectarian attacks involving loyalists”