British Army harassment in Fermanagh

Sinn Féin has criticised the level of British Army activity in the Fermanagh area after a party activist was verbally abused and held for 45 minutes on Thursday night 2 October.

The woman told An Phoblacht she was driving home when a foot patrol stopped and questioned her. "This was just blatant harassment," said former Assembly member Gerry McHugh. "People in Fermanagh are sick to the back teeth of all this provocation. The British Army set up checkpoints and harass everyone they stop, they are trying to goad people into reacting to all this.

"Over the past number of weeks we have seen a significant rise in British crown forces activity in the Fermanagh area. This has impacted on local people who have had to endure harassment from these soldiers at checkpoints and from foot patrols. This is unacceptable behaviour, the British Government must publish their timetable for demilitarisation and take these people off our streets."