Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About Us - News - Both sides come together to bridge the divide at Finaghy

15 March 2011

Andersonstown News Monday 10th of March 2011 by Paul Ainsworth A NEW group dedicated to bridging the divide at Finaghy crossroads has their work cut out, with groups of local youths continuing to organise fights through social networking sites.

The Greater Finaghy Community Safety Forum was officially launched last Friday at a cross-community event which saw members of the PSNI join community representatives and other agencies in welcoming the organisation and its work.

Flashpoint

Huge steps have been taken in recent years to address issues of contention in Finaghy over the last number of years, and trouble at the former “flashpoint” on the edge of West Belfast has reduced thanks to hard work by community groups and others.

However, the Forum acknowledged that the area still has the potential to see more trouble, and in recent weeks groups of youths have clashed in confrontations organised over the internet on sites including facebook.

Stephen Magennis of the Finaghy Crossroads Group spoke of recent trouble, and welcomed the launch of the Forum.

“We are very keen to involve youths in this initiative as much as possible,” he told the Andersonstown News.

“Trouble flares up every now and again, but by coming together under this Forum we can tackle the issues that have divided the community in Finaghy in the past, and we will meet regularly to reach our goals.

“Over the last few nights groups have faced each other after organising online, and this is the sort of thing we aim to deal with. We hope to work with local schools also to help spread awareness of this and other problems.”

Guest speaker at the launch, Gerry McConville, Director the Falls Community Council, welcomed the Finaghy Forum, which had been “years in the offing”.

“The crossroads is a safer place now than before,” he said.

“We can continue to improve with this Forum, with round-table discussions where we can share ideas and suggestions.”

Also in attendance was prominent loyalist, Jackie McDonald, and Joe Hinds from the Community Bridges Project. Joe opened the Finaghy Crossroads Group office several years ago and he said he was glad to see Finaghy move away from the “sectarian landscape” which once characterised the area.