15 March 2001 Edition
UVF behind Carryduff threats
Loyalists in the Carryduff area of South Belfast are involved in a campaign of intimidation against Catholics, says Sinn Féin councillor Sean Hayes.
Threatening letters were recently attached to the windscreens of dozens of cars belonging to Catholics in the Killynure estate, Muskett and Lough Moss areas of Carryduff.
Labeling the threats, ``a territorial campaign by the UVF'', Hayes said he believed the UVF was ``flexing its muscle in response to the growth in the Catholic/nationalist population in the area while the unionist population is falling''.
Hayes has also hit out at the RUC over its failure to give adequate information to nationalists in the Markets area who were told their details are in the hands of loyalist death squads. ``On Friday 9 March up to six people were visited by the RUC and informed their details were in the hands of loyalist death squads,'' he said. ``The information the RUC gave these people was completely inadequate to allow them to implement proper security arrangements.''
A Catholic family living on the Ballykeel estate in Ballymena have become the latest Catholics to be targeted by loyalists in the Antrim area in recent weeks.
A couple, their son and their grandson were asleep in their Kintyre Park home in the early hours of Saturday morning, 10 March, when a petrol bomb was hurled through their living room window. The bomb exploded, causing extensive damage to the room.
That attack occurred within 36 hours of petrol bomb attacks on two Catholic-owned businesses in the small County Antrim village of Cloughmills. Both businesses, situated on the main street, suffered only minor damage when the fire bombs burned themselves out after hitting the front windows.
Threatening letters were recently attached to the windscreens of dozens of cars belonging to Catholics in the Killynure estate, Muskett and Lough Moss areas of Carryduff.
Labeling the threats, ``a territorial campaign by the UVF'', Hayes said he believed the UVF was ``flexing its muscle in response to the growth in the Catholic/nationalist population in the area while the unionist population is falling''.
Hayes has also hit out at the RUC over its failure to give adequate information to nationalists in the Markets area who were told their details are in the hands of loyalist death squads. ``On Friday 9 March up to six people were visited by the RUC and informed their details were in the hands of loyalist death squads,'' he said. ``The information the RUC gave these people was completely inadequate to allow them to implement proper security arrangements.''
Antrim attacks continue
A Catholic family living on the Ballykeel estate in Ballymena have become the latest Catholics to be targeted by loyalists in the Antrim area in recent weeks.
A couple, their son and their grandson were asleep in their Kintyre Park home in the early hours of Saturday morning, 10 March, when a petrol bomb was hurled through their living room window. The bomb exploded, causing extensive damage to the room.
That attack occurred within 36 hours of petrol bomb attacks on two Catholic-owned businesses in the small County Antrim village of Cloughmills. Both businesses, situated on the main street, suffered only minor damage when the fire bombs burned themselves out after hitting the front windows.
