4 August 1999 Edition
UDA force Catholic family out of Dunmurry
THE ONGOING CAMPAIGN of terror against Catholics in Dunmurry - thought to be orchestrated by the UDA - has forced another young family out of the area.
Deirdre Traynor, who has lived in the area with her husband and two children for seven years, said::
``Me and my four-year-old daughter, Anne, were sitting on the settee when the bricks came through the window. We were covered in glass and my first thought was for my child, who was sitting beside me. Luckily, none of us was injured but I was absolutely terrified.''
It is believed that the attackers escaped in a red Ford Escort after the assault on ........
The Traynor family immediately decided to leave the house. ``I didn't even wait to pick up my belongings. Me and my husband decided to leave there and then. We went to stay in a relative's house. The Housing Executive has put us on their A1 priority waiting list but we're still waiting for alternative accommodation.''
This is not the first time the family have been the victim of sectarianism. Deirdre recalled:
``Last year, when I was walking through the local park with my daughter, a group of yobboes approached us and said they knew where we lived. The snide remarks increased with time but it was only last month that the first attack happened. Our car was smashed up by a group of people, causing £900-worth of damage.''
She then applied to the Housing Executive for a transfer.
``We wanted to leave then but we were waiting for alternative accommodation. The latest attack changed everything. The bricks and the glass could have hit anyone and I'm just not prepared to take that risk.''.
Condemning the attack, Sinn Féin's Paul Butler challenged the RUC to state publicly whether or not they know that the UDA are behind these attacks.
``The RUC must have information as to who is involved in this campaign, given that it is clearly organised.''
Butler concluded:
``The people who carried out this attack have nothing to offer only a diet of bigotry and sectarian hatred.''
Deirdre Traynor, who has lived in the area with her husband and two children for seven years, said::
``Me and my four-year-old daughter, Anne, were sitting on the settee when the bricks came through the window. We were covered in glass and my first thought was for my child, who was sitting beside me. Luckily, none of us was injured but I was absolutely terrified.''
It is believed that the attackers escaped in a red Ford Escort after the assault on ........
The Traynor family immediately decided to leave the house. ``I didn't even wait to pick up my belongings. Me and my husband decided to leave there and then. We went to stay in a relative's house. The Housing Executive has put us on their A1 priority waiting list but we're still waiting for alternative accommodation.''
This is not the first time the family have been the victim of sectarianism. Deirdre recalled:
``Last year, when I was walking through the local park with my daughter, a group of yobboes approached us and said they knew where we lived. The snide remarks increased with time but it was only last month that the first attack happened. Our car was smashed up by a group of people, causing £900-worth of damage.''
She then applied to the Housing Executive for a transfer.
``We wanted to leave then but we were waiting for alternative accommodation. The latest attack changed everything. The bricks and the glass could have hit anyone and I'm just not prepared to take that risk.''.
Condemning the attack, Sinn Féin's Paul Butler challenged the RUC to state publicly whether or not they know that the UDA are behind these attacks.
``The RUC must have information as to who is involved in this campaign, given that it is clearly organised.''
Butler concluded:
``The people who carried out this attack have nothing to offer only a diet of bigotry and sectarian hatred.''