Community Relations Council

CURRENT ISSUES (SEPTEMBER 2004)

Paramilitaries

•  A 22 year-old man was shot in the leg in Newtownabbey and a 31 year-old man was shot in the leg in Glengormley. A 22 year-old man was shot in the leg and beaten by a gang of six men in Newtownards. A man was shot in the leg in Greenmount Place north Belfast, a teenager was shot in the thigh in the West Winds estate in Newtownards, and a 20 year-old man was treated in hospital for gun shot wounds to his arms and legs after being attacked in Mersey Street East Belfast. A three year-old child was treated for shock after a republican gang dragged a 21 year-old from a house in Strabane and shot him in both ankles. Later, in what PSNI said was an unrelated attack, Strand Road Police Station in L/Derry was sprayed with up to 30 high volocity rounds. There were no injuries. A pipe bomb was thrown through the window of a house in the Ravenhill area of East Belfast. The device failed to ignite.
• Sinn Fein member, Mickey Agnew from Ballymena reported that PSNI had warned him of an 'imminent loyalist threat to his life'. Loyalists were also blamed for attacking the house of a Catholic woman and two children with a pipe bomb in Banbridge.
• Traffic was brought to a standstill in the greater Belfast area early in the month following a number of hoax bomb alerts. The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility. Later in the month a major security operation was mounted when the same organisation claimed it had planted a large bomb near an undisclosed police station. Again, this turned out to be a hoax.
• A pipe bomb was found in the garden of a house in Ballycarry, County Antrim, and petrol bombs where thrown at the home of SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey in L/Derry.
• The Royal Mail intercepted 8 packages containing powder addressed to DUP MP Gregory Campbell, the police Ombudsman, members for the policing board and District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) at there main sorting office in Mallusk.
• Paramilitary activity had decreased by 500% between April and August 2004, according a report given to the Local DDP.

Sectarianism

• SDLP assembly member, John Dallat. Complained the loyalist flags flying in Portstewart were damaging tourism in the town. He called for the introduction of legislation 'to outlaw the flying of flags on public property irrespective of who is the owner'.
• A Catholic teenager was stabbed in North Belfast in retaliation for a similar attack on loyalist bandsmen earlier in the week. The teenager was left fighting for his life having received multiple injuries to his abdomen
• The argument over the name of L/Derry city continued with the local council. In report present to the council by barrister Francis J Farrelly, it has been suggested that petition the Queen to remove the Royal seal was not legally necessary. Unionist councillors disagree, and suggest that the council cannot change the name prior to an Act of Parliament and Royal approval. The dispute continues.
• Unionist and nationalist politicians in L/Derry united to condemn and call for the removal of sectarian graffiti on one of the cities main arterial routes. The names of the Real IRA and INLA have been painted beside a large slogan claiming 'you are now entering hun? free Derry'. One of the principle fears is that the sectarian statement might affect tourism within the city.
• Sectarian prejudice among individuals can be lessened by 'just having a friend of a friend from the other side' according to new research. The study carried out by Oxford University staff found that even loose contact with members of the other community in Northern Ireland can reduce sectarianism. The study, a random survey of 700 people, compiled over 5 years looked at issues of inter-group anxiety. The Professor in charge Ed Cairns said that there was little evidence to suggest that community relations were improving in Northern Ireland. However, he also stated that he was 'not sure we're any worse off now than in the past, but I'm not sure we're any better either.'
• According to figures released in the Housing Executive annual report 1245 people were forced to leave their homes as the result of intimidation in 2003/04 at an estimated financial cost of £45m
• A row broke out when Sinn Fein councillors complained that road signs welcoming to Omagh's twinned town of L'Hay in France had a Union Flag to represent the town. The complaint was not raised with the representative of the French town during a recent trip by councillors, however, Sinn Fein member Sean Clarke, has said that he will be raising the issue at Omagh Council.

Victims and Survivors

• A memorial to four workmen killed by the IRA at the Teebane Junction between Cookstown and Omagh was vandalised.

Ethnic Minorities

• Tensions mounted as the anniversary of the 9/11 arrived and PSNI warned members of ethnic minority communities that their homes, businesses and families were under threat of attack from racists. Fortunately the anniversary passed without incident.
• A North Belfast man was remanded in custody

Equality and Human Rights

• UUP and DUP MEPs Jim Nicholson and Jim Allister met with NIO Finance Minister Ian Pearson to discuss how best to approach EU peace and reconciliation funding in the future. Both MEPs voiced their concern that peace monies where not being shared out equally between the two main communities, and that, as a result Protestants where being treated unfairly.
• The head of the Ulster-Scots Agency Lord Laird of Artigarvan has asked the Bank of Ireland for the language to be included in options for making bank transactions. In a letter to the banks Chief Executive, Lord Laird complained that the Banks ATMs near Queen's University provided a service in Irish but did not provided parity for Ulster-Scots. This, according to Lord Laird represents a failure to honour the spirit of the Belfast Agreement.

Crime, Policing and Justice

• The Chairman of the Policing Board praised the bravery of members of DPPs in his annual report. Prof Desmond Rea revealed that there were 14,500 fewer victims of crime during 2003-2004. He stated that 'this year, despite continued threats against many of its members, the work of DPPs in local communities represented another important milestone for police community relations.'
• The PSNI chief Constable Hugh Orde came under attack from both nationalist and unionist politicians for his decision to begin phasing out the police full-time reserve over an 18 month period beginning in Spring 2005. It is estimated that severance packages could total £100 million
• The public is to be given a say in the selection of judges in Northern Ireland under wide-ranging reforms to the selection process. A new Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission is to be created by summer 2005 with responsibility for appointing and recommending candidates up to and including High Court judges. From 2005 Sir Brian Kerr (Lord Chief Justice) will chair the new commission and sit with 12 others – five of whom will be from the public – to make the appointments.
• It was announced that a number of towns, including Omagh, are to have the security barriers erected during the troubles removed over the coming months.
• The NIO announced that Dr. Bill Norris has been reappointed to serve another term as Independent Commissioner for Detained Terrorist Suspects in Northern Ireland.

Public Policy

• Nigel Dodds, DUP, cited threatened water charges as an example of the need for a substantial financial package in any future political settlement. Having said this, no settlement has been achieved. Despite intensive talks in Leeds Castle in Kent, no breakthrough was achieved between DUP negotiators and Sinn Fein.
• Derry City Council announced its intention to try and raise £11 million from various sources to restore the cities walls and associated artefacts. £75000 from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has already contributed to the restoration of 24 cannons. The hope is that a full scale project can now be undertaken.
• Limavady Borough Council faced a possible conflict within the Council when five unionist members announced that they hope to overturn a no flags policy following the resignation of Sinn Fein member Francis Brolly.
• It was reported that the government faces increasing pressure to give the go-ahead for a new national sports stadium in Northern Ireland following agreement from the GAA that it will host games there. The GAA endorsement for the £55m project could mean that the proposed stadium is supported as cross-community initiative.
• An INCORE/University of Ulster project, examining the views of politicians on community relations, was reported to have found a consensus 'that, despite good initiatives taken by some individuals, building good relations and a more integrated society does not feature highly on most politicians' list of priorities'.