NOVEMBER, 2001

THURS. NOVEMBER 1, 2001. Thursday night. Groups of loyalists gathered at Twaddle Ave. Fireworks were aimed and fired towards the Ardoyne shops.

Nationalists returned fire with fireworks of their own. Crown occupation forces moved into the area and a stand-off fireworks fight took place subsiding after some time.

Nationalist homes at interface areas came under brick, bottles and fireworks attack.

FRI. NOVEMBER 2, 2001: David Trimble failed to get enough unionist votes to be elected ‘First Minister’ in the Stormont assembly, after two members of his party votes against him.

Friday night. Stoning of nationalist houses in Alliance Ave took place but on a minor level to that of recent weeks.

Some stoning at Limestone Road. Fireworks were also used to attack nationalist homes.

Children in the Manor Street area of Oldpark Road were lucky to escape injury or worse when they were found playing with a pipe bomb that had been thrown over the so-called peaceline at Manor Street some time on Thursday by loyalist bombers.

SAT. NOVEMBER 3, 2001: A car containing a bomb exploded in the Smallbrook Queensway area of Birmingham city centre. No one was injured.

Apart from stone-throwing between loyalist and nationalist youths at Ardoyne on Saturday afternoon and minor trouble in a number of other interface areas, Saturday passed off with fighting on a low level to that seen before. Tension stayed high.

SUN. NOVEMBER 4, 2001: The RUC was renamed the ‘Police Service of Northern Ireland’ by the British government. Later that day the so-called ‘new’ RUC escorted members of the Orange Order down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, Co Armagh, in an area where all Orange Order marches have been halted by a ruling of the British Parades Commission since 1998.

Like Saturday, passed off with only minor trouble, mostly stones and bottles being thrown at interface areas.

MON. NOVEMBER 5, 2001: Halloween holidays over, Holy Cross children and their parents once again walked up the Ardoyne Road at 9am to be faced once again by lines of Brit/RUC occupation forces, armoured cars and Land Rovers.

Loyalists in Glenbryn once again changed their tactics. After weekend meetings with their counterparts in the RUC this loyalist paramilitary police force polices the parents and Holy Cross children even more.

The RUC name has changed but this is the same sectarian force as it has always been.

Loyalists were able to get even closer now to the children and their parents.

Again as both the children and their parents walked up the Crumlin Road to school groups of men believed to be from the infamous C Coy UDA/UFF Lower Shankill Road stood very close to them with their faces covered.

Sectarian cat calls and dirty talk was aimed at the children and parents.

This was repeated as the parents returned back down the road again and in the walk to and from the school on Monday afternoon.

Monday passed off with minor trouble in a number of areas of north Belfast.

TUES. NOVEMBER 6, 2001: David Trimble was finally re-elected ‘First Minister’ in the Stormont assembly when members of the so-called centre Alliance Party redesignated themselves as unionists.

9am. RUC heavy gang attacked Holy Cross children and parents as they tried to walk along the footpath to school.

The RUC heavy gang physically removed the parents and children with many of them being set upon by a number of RUC men.

The parents have stated that being forced to walk up the middle of the Ardoyne Road through lines of RUC men like a flock of sheep is over and that in future they would walk with their children along the footpath just like other school children anywhere can do as a right.

Fr Aidan Troy condemned the RUC saying he’d never let his people be treated that way again.

The RUC used the same heavy handed tactics as the parents went to pick the children up out of school.

Tuesday passed off with no reports of trouble.

WED. NOVEMBER 7, 2001: Once again the Holy Cross children and their parents gathered to walk the Ardoyne Road to school. Once again there were Occupation Force‘s lines and sectarian cat calls.

On Wednesday the children met a very special visitor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, known the world over for standing up for human rights and against injustice.

One of the spokesmen for the unjust protest against the Holy Cross children later condemned Archbishop Tutu. Mr Potts, who is out on bail for his part in attacking the Holy Cross children and parents, said that Tutu didn’t care about Protestant children who were suffering. Mr Potts failed to state that the Protestant children were also suffering because of the unjust protest against the Holy Cross children. The fact is no child, Catholic, Protestant, Black or White should be forced to go through protests which are aimed at the Holy Cross children.

There was the same sectarian calls to the parents of the children as they went up to the school and returned back down the Ardoyne Road again with the children on Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday passed off once again with minor trouble in a number of areas.

THURS. NOVEMBER 8, 2001: For must seem like a lifetime for the parents and children of Holy Cross, they gathered again on the Ardoyne Road to walk to the school. Again, occupation force lines and sectarian cat calls. Many people were sickened to see so many old aged people shouting sectarian slogans but the shouting was on a lower level than it has been and loyalist numbers were down.

Thursday afternoon. The events of Thursday morning were repeated as the parents went to pick the children up from school.

Again Thursday passed off with only minor trouble. Loyalist stone throwers attacked houses at Alliance Ave for a time.

FRI. NOVEMBER 9, 2001: The children of Holy Cross were sitting their 11-Plus. With the stress of it in a normal situation we can only wonder what the stress, coupled with the events of recent weeks, was like for the Holy Cross children.

The loyalists said they would call off their unjust protest for Friday morning.

After weeks of attacks from these people, when the children should have been getting ready for the 11-Plus test without the added stress of these bigots the general feeling was that this offer was far too little and too late. The damage had been done. Another reason for them calling off their unjust protest may have been more to do with their own children doing the 11-Plus test.

But, whatever the reason these bigots were back on the streets again for Friday afternoon and were back to their sectarian ways.

The children of Holy Cross got to meet another visitor today. This time it was the Free State figurehead, Mary McAleese.

There was some trouble in a number of interface areas, Limestone Road and Newington, also Ardoyne Road at Alliance Ave, which subsided after some time.

Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded into the areas.

SAT. NOVEMBER 10, 2001: Apart from a number of stones being thrown at Alliance Ave by loyalists the day passed off with no trouble.

SUN. NOVEMBER 11, 2001: About 1pm. Loyalist crowds after a Remembrance Day parade made their way into the nationalist New Lodge where nationalist homes were set on at an interface.

They set upon a nationalist man outside his home, beating him very badly, so much so that nationalists who went to the mans aid thought he was dead.

As nationalist street fighters came out in defence of their homes, families and area, they were able to drive the loyalist mobs back.

The nationalist man who had been attacked by the mob of loyalists was taken to hospital where he was treated for a number of injuries. As well as those injuries doctors are also working to save the mans eyes.

As nationalist street fighters confronted the loyalist mobs running battles took place and a number of people were injured.

As the Brit/RUC occupations forces flooded the area the fighting subsided. Tension was very high in the area.

Around 4.20pm fighting once again broke out at North Queen Street and Limestone Road. The fighting was very heavy and at close hand. Loyalist mobs who had made it down North Queen Street to the nationalist end were driven back by nationalist street fighters. At this stage Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded the area.

At around 5.00pm lines of RUC Land Rovers cut North Queen Street off. At the loyalist end these Land Rovers just blocked the road. At the nationalist end the RUC lines up at least 20 Land Rovers. Some on the footpath moved down North Queen Street pushing the nationalist street fighters back toward the New Lodge.

Nationalists tried to stand their ground and attack the Crown Forces but against such numbers and armoured Land Rovers the task was an impossible one.

The street fighters now took to the side streets and put up a constant attack on Crown Forces with brick, bottles, paint and petrol bombs in what can only be seen as a very brave action carried out by mostly nationalist youths against Brit occupation forces.

A number of plastic bullets were fired and two children were hit in the New Lodge area. Both children were aged 11 years old.

By this stage loyalist mobs attacked their own Crown Forces at the loyalist end of North Queen Street and gun fire was heard.

A loyalist bomber was injured by his own bomb as he tried to throw it at RUC lines. His hand was blown off and he suffered head injuries. By now up to 700 people were involved in fighting in the area.

The fighting subsided around 6.45pm but an uneasy feeling fell over the area and tension was very high.

7.00pm. A group of nationalist youths waiting for a bus on the Antrim Road at Fort William were lucky to escape injury when loyalist in a passing car opened fire on them. A number of shots were fired.

Loyalist gunmen also tried to force their way into the Docks area of Belfast but when they found their way barred they fired a shot through a window and made off at speed in a car.

A number of other reports of shootings were made around the Belfast area.

8.00pm. Report that the loyalist bomber who was injured by his own bomb had died in hospital. Republican Sinn Féin in north Belfast rubbished claims by loyalists that the bomb that killed the loyalist in North Queen Street was thrown by nationalists.

A spokesman for Republican Sinn Féin said “it’s clear such claims are a ploy to cover up UDA-UFF involvement. There is no secret that the UDA/UFF and UVF have been recruiting very heavily for the UYM and YCV, the loyalist murder gangs youth wings and these youth members have been carrying out many of the sectarian attacks on the nationalist community.”

The fighting subsided after some hours.

A number of cars were also burned out across North Queen Street. Tension was very high.

MON. NOVEMBER 12, 2001: Monday again started as countless Mondays have for the children and parents of Holy Cross. They walked up the Ardoyne Road at 9am, passed through lines of Brits and RUC and, as so many times before, the sectarian calls, anti-Catholic and foul mouths. The parents and children just walked on.

The same was repeated as the parents walked back down the road again.

When returning back down the road at 3pm after picking the children up from school again the loyalists started shouting as loudly and noisily as they could. Their sectarianism and hatred towards the children and parents was plain but if the bigots foul mouths and sectarianism wasn’t enough one of the loyalists, a woman, held up pornography. Fireworks were also used, landing near to the children.

The RUC lifted one of the loyalists but only after she pushed an RUC man.

The rest of Monday passed off with fighting on the Limestone Road and Newington. There was also some stoning at the top of Alliance Ave. Tension was high but the fighting subsided after a time.

TUES. NOVEMBER 13, 2001: Tuesday morning at Holy Cross was the same as the day before and countless days before that. The loyalists were down in numbers but still managed to let their foul mouths and hate for the children and their parents be heard. There was trouble in a number of areas of north Belfast but on a minor level to that which had been going on in the previous number of days.

WED. NOVEMBER 14, 2001: The protest continued outside Holy Cross school the same as before.

Wednesday passed off with only minor trouble in a number of areas.

THURS. NOVEMBER 15, 2001: The walk today hadn’t anything new for the parents and children of Holy Cross. The same lines of Brit and RUC occupation forces, crowds of loyalist bigots, foul mouths and sectarianism.

It was the same again for the parents as they went to the school in the afternoon and return back down the road again with the children.

Again as the day grew into night there was trouble in a number of interface areas.

Tension was high and the Brit occupation forces were heavy on the ground.

FRI. NOVEMBER 16, 2001: Around 9pm. A number of shots were fired at Girdwood Barracks at Clifton Park Ave. Trouble broke out in White City after nationalist street fighters and loyalist rioters confronted each other. Stones, bricks and bottles were thrown and a number of people on both sides were injured.

Running battles took place and petrol bombs were used, damaging houses on both sides of the interface. The fighting went on for some time.

One nationalist family whose home has been under constant attack since the start of the year said they had had enough and were moving out of the area.

Around 9.30pm. Trouble broke out in the Whitewell when a loyalist crowd attacked nationalist homes at the so-called peace line. The fighting went on again for some time with fighting taking place at close hand.

Again homes were damaged on both sides of the interface. The fighting died off and subsided after Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded the area.

The following report was given to SAOIRSE by a resident of Ligoniel. Ligoniel is a nationalist area. It sits at the top of the Crumlin Road where the road bends:

A turn off to the left here takes you up Ligoniel Road towards the country. A drive takes you over the hill out to Crumlin and the international airport.

In fact Ligoniel has only one way in to it. There is a back way which can take for miles or one that takes you through small country roads. Ligoniel has long been a victim of loyalism and has seen many of its people murdered.

It is also an area that is often cut off from the rest of Belfast by loyalists and has many times been cut off for days by felled trees, buses or other barricades of one kind or another there at Ligoniel Park which has given cover to many a loyalist attack on nationalists as they bus or drive up Ligoniel Road.

On Friday, November 16 at 4.30pm a bus travelling up the Crumlin Road to Ligoniel was attacked by loyalists at the first part of the park at Crumlin Road and again at the bend or turn of the road near the video shop. On the bus were a number of nationalists.

As the bus got to Ligoniel Park it was again attack. Here the driver stopped and refused to go on to Ligoniel, making the people on the bus get off.

It was here that nationalists who were put off the bus were set upon by loyalists and got beaten up.

They were able to get away but as news got round Ligoniel crowds of nationalists made their way down the road and fighting took place which went on for sometime.

Loyalists also broke a number of windows in nationalist homes.

A number of cars were also burned at the turn of the road.

Once again the small nationalist community of Ligoniel was cut off by loyalists.

The Ligoniel resident also told SAOIRSE that nationalists were told to get off the streets by the local Provisionals. Once again the Provisionals have policed the peace. The question is, what peace?

Republican Sinn Féin in north Belfast questions the actions of the bus driver on Friday afternoon. Why did he refuse to go to the nationalist Ligoniel area? The very dangerous action of putting nationalists off a bus in the loyalists Ballysallin area could have ended in murder. Why did the bus driver not drive to Ligoniel? After all the bus was under attack from loyalists not nationalists.

The bus service to Ligoniel has been stopped after 5pm every day. Once again nationalist are suffering because of loyalist attacks which they have no control over.

SAT. NOVEMBER 17, 2001: 2.30am. A nationalist family had a lucky escape from death when a petrol bomb was thrown through the living room window of their Serpentine Road home. The petrol bomb hit the house owner on the knee before rolling off onto the floor setting fire to a mat and the settee the man had been sitting on. He managed to put the fire out but said if the attack had been just a bit later they wouldn’t have known and would more than likely have been burned to death.

2.00pm. Fighting broke out on the Limestone Road and Duncairn Gardens after loyalist crowds attacked nationalist homes. As nationalists came onto the streets fighting took place.

Heavy close-hand fighting went on for some time as nationalist street fighters pushed the loyalist rioters back to the Tigers Bay area. Loyalist bombers threw at least one pipe bomb but no one was injured. The fighting went on as Brit/RUC occupation forces flooded the area. The fighting was so intense that both sides pushed through riot clad Brits and RUC lines to get at each other.

As the day went on crowds stood in the area. Streets and roads were blocked off by Brit occupation forces.

Tension was very high in the area. As darkness fell people in the area were fearful of more bomb attacks and locals kept a watch over the area.

About 10.00pm. Nationalist homes were attacked by loyalist petrol bombs. Fighting took place between nationalists and loyalists which went on for some time. Houses on both sides of the interface were damaged.

Fighting took place on the Serpentine Road at Serpentine Gardens, Thorburn Gardens and Gunnell Hill, subsiding in the small hours of the morning.

SUN. NOVEMBER 18, 2001:Over 50 petrol bombs were found along with 500 bottles at Clanchatten Street off the Limestone Road. One person believed to be a nationalist at this stage was lifted by the RUC.

Sunday night was witness to fighting in a number of areas of north Belfast; at Ardoyne Road/Alliance Ave, Limestone Road, Serpentine Road and White City. Loyalists also attacked nationalist homes at Rosapenna Street on the Old Park Road.

Nationalists in all areas above attacked Brit occupation forces with bricks, bottles, paint and petrol bombs. Loyalist bombers were once again active in the Limestone Road.

At Newington, Limestone Road up to 300 nationalist street fighters battled with Brit/RUC occupation forces.

The fighting in all areas subsided in the early hours of Monday morning with tension still high in the area.

Over the period between Friday, November 16 to Sunday, November 18 at least five nationalist families were forced out of their homes.

At Clifton Park Ave a nationalist family were attacked by crowds of loyalists who tried to force their way into their home.

When they found their way barred they tried to set the house on fire. Knowing very well that the family were inside they set fire to the oil tank.

Other nationalist families at White City and Serpentine Road came under constant loyalist attack from petrol bombers.

At least one of the families has now left their home for good.

Readers should note that what is stated here doesn’t even begin to tell the full story of those who live in what’s known as the interface areas of north Belfast . . .

The constant fear that the sound of shattering glass can only spell the pipe, blast or petrol bomb has come through a window . . .

Or the long sleepless hours of waiting for the daylight . . .

The darkened rooms where watching people sit. Maybe this way they can ensure they’ll be safe . . .

This is ‘the Peace’. What peace?

Tonight and every night this is a scene played out time and time again.

MON. NOVEMBER 19, 2001:Holy Cross parents and children walk up the Ardoyne Road at 8.55am. They had as so often before to walk through Brit and RUC occupation forces lines. They then walked to the footpath and along the footpath to the school. Outside the area this would seem to many as progress but people would do well to remember that there are still hundreds of Brits and RUC. There were armoured cars and the threat from loyalist paramilitary groups and loyalist bigots; this morning there were over a hundred standing in side streets at Glenbryn.

This would be repeated in the afternoon. Far from a normal childs school day.

Around 8.35pm. A number of pipe bombs were thrown by loyalists into the back yards of nationalist houses at Rosapenna Street, Old Park Road.

One went off causing damage but a number of others failed to go off. This was the second such attack in two days by loyalist bombers.

News that one of the parents of the Holy Cross school children has been on hunger strike since Wednesday, November 14 as a protest against the attacks on the children by loyalists and for the rights of the children.

It became clear that one of the loyalist spokesmen for the unjust protesters at Glenbryn had resigned. What wasn’t clear was Stuart McCartney’s reasons. McCartney resigned on Monday afternoon.

TUES. NOVEMBER 20, 2001:8.55am. Parents and children of Holy Cross once again walked up the Ardoyne Road. Today a bus had been put into service but only a handful of parents availed of it. Most reserve their right to walk along the footpath to school.

WED. NOVEMBER 21, 2001:9am. Parents and children once again walked up the Ardoyne Road to Holy Cross school. Today no-one took the buses that were put into service on Monday. Those who had taken the bus before said they did so to show it was their right to decide when to bus it to the school and when to walk. “Yesterday, by choice, we took the bus. Today, by choice, we are going to walk,” the parents said.

As the parents and children walked up the road, they once again became the target for the hate-filled loyalist bigots who pushed forward to get close to the parents and children. These bigots once again used their foul talk and waved hands and fists at the parents and children. UVF mouthpiece Billy Hutchinson also got involved in a verbal attack on the parents. Many of the children at this stage became upset and were crying. Once again these bigots had good reason to be proud of themselves, but only in their own bigoted mind-set.

As the parents returned there were more sectarian cat calls. Again in the afternoon this was repeated as the parents went to the school and returned back down the road again.

9pm. Fighting broke out in White City between loyalist rioters and nationalist street fighters.

The fighting went on for some time and was at close hand. The cause of the fighting was attacks on nationalist homes by loyalists and subsided after some time. The area was tense. Brit/RUC occupation forces now flooded the area.

THURS. NOVEMBER 22, 2001:8.55am. Parents and children of Holy Cross walk up the road now in their own time. Some take the bus. But things are still far from normal as lines of RUC/Brit occupation forces and armoured cars and Land Rovers lined the road, with foul and sectarian cat calls being heard.

There was speculation that the loyalist bigots were ready to call off their unjust protest but that did not ease the concerns or fears of the parents and children of Holy Cross. Loyalists numbers on their unjust protest had fallen very much in the last number of days.

This didn’t stop the remaining bigots from showing their hate towards the Holy Cross children and their parents as they walked to the school and returned back down the road again.

The same was to be repeated in the afternoon.

FRI. NOVEMBER 23, 2001: 8.55am. Parents and children of Holy Cross once again walked to Holy Cross school, through lines of RUC/Brit occupations forces. A few took the bus.

The loyalist crowd just stood and looked on as the parents and children walked past.

News that a deal had been done with the loyalists didn’t ease concerns. These parents and children had gone through too much to be sure of anything. As the parents walked to the school in the afternoon it was more of the same as loyalists just looked on from behind Brit occupation forces lines.

It was now clear that a deal had been done with the loyalists who had threatened, attacked and used bombs against school children. The deal was done at the unionist seat of power at Stormont. What was unclear was what the deal was.

UVF mouth-piece, Billy Hutchinson, said the loyalist (unjust) protest had not been called off; it had only been suspended.

The city centre of Belfast was brought to a standstill on the afternoon as hundreds of people marched in support of the Holy Cross children around 4.30pm.

Friday night ended with a bomb attack on the home of a nationalist family at Rosapenna Street off the Old Park Road.

The bomb, believed to be a blast bomb, went off after being thrown over from the loyalist end of the so-called peace-line. Saturday passed off with no reports of trouble.

SUN. NOVEMBER 25, 2001: Fighting broke out at North Queen Street in the small hours at 4.30am. Fighting between loyalist rioters and nationalist street fighters took place with running battles going on for a time and only subsiding well into Sunday morning.

MON. NOVEMBER 26, 2001: The protest by loyalists at Holy Cross Catholic girls primary school was suspended, following commitments made by the British government to the protesters.

For the Record