25 February 1999 Edition
McAnespie family harassed
by Dan O'Neill
The family of Aidan McAnespie, shot dead by a British soldier at a vehicle checkpoint at Aughnacloy, were harassed by paratroopers as they returned from a mass to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his death.
British soldiers stopped cars coming from the neighbouring parish of Clara, in Co Monaghan. Eilish McCabe, Mr Anespie's sister, was one of the relatives returning from the mass.
She told An Phoblacht, ``there were three landrovers full of paratroopers observing the cars coming across. We were absolutely horrified. Nationalists in the community feel more isolated than ever.
``The paratroopers were aware that we were at Mass for Aidan's anniversary. They stopped the first couple of cars but there was a crowd of several hundred there and when they saw this they got back into their jeeps and took down the numbers of all the cars that went past.''
This incident is just the latest in a long line of episodes of harassment by British soldiers against the nationalists in the area - especially the McAnespie family.
``We are now moving into a peace process but nothing has changed for us. When are they going to recognise that we are equals? It was very insensitive and the family is very upset about it,'' Ms McCabe said.
The family of Aidan McAnespie, shot dead by a British soldier at a vehicle checkpoint at Aughnacloy, were harassed by paratroopers as they returned from a mass to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his death.
British soldiers stopped cars coming from the neighbouring parish of Clara, in Co Monaghan. Eilish McCabe, Mr Anespie's sister, was one of the relatives returning from the mass.
She told An Phoblacht, ``there were three landrovers full of paratroopers observing the cars coming across. We were absolutely horrified. Nationalists in the community feel more isolated than ever.
``The paratroopers were aware that we were at Mass for Aidan's anniversary. They stopped the first couple of cars but there was a crowd of several hundred there and when they saw this they got back into their jeeps and took down the numbers of all the cars that went past.''
This incident is just the latest in a long line of episodes of harassment by British soldiers against the nationalists in the area - especially the McAnespie family.
``We are now moving into a peace process but nothing has changed for us. When are they going to recognise that we are equals? It was very insensitive and the family is very upset about it,'' Ms McCabe said.