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July 08, 2005

Loyalist Killer Fairs To Secure Release

News about Ireland & the Irish

IO 07/08/05 Loyalist Killer McClean Fails To Secure Early Release
IO 07/08/05 Belfast Loyalist Has Attempted Murder Charge Dropped
DJ 07/08/05 Loyalist 'Hardmen' Blamed For Limavady Road Flags
DJ 07/08/05 UDA-Linked Group To Distribute 'Anti-Police' Leaflets
DJ 07/08/05 Bury Deep Roots To Prevent 'Ethnic Cleansing'
UT 07/08/05 Republicans Accused Over Bomber Protest
SA 07/08/05 Terrorist's Orange Day Talk Is 'An Outrage'
IO 07/08/05 PSNI Scales Down Physical Security For Drumcree March
IO 07/08/05 Govt Urges Restraint On Contentious Orange Parades
UT 07/08/05 More Than 50 Dead In London Terror Attack
UT 07/08/05 Anxious Irish Citizens Phone London Bombs Helpline
BT 07/08/05 Ulster's Messages Of Support

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http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=148752082&p=y4875z788

Loyalist Killer McClean Fails To Secure Early Release

08/07/2005 - 08:01:51

A loyalist gunman who killed two people in Co Down seven years
ago has failed in an attempt to secure early release under the
terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

Stephen McClean and another LVF man were jailed in February 2000
for murdering lifelong friends Damien Traynor and Philip Allen at
a pub in Poyntzpass two years earlier.

The killers thought the pub was only frequented by Catholics, but
Mr Allen was actually a Protestant.

McClean's release under the Good Friday Agreement was blocked by
the British government, which said he would be a danger to the
public.

The LVF man successfully appealed the decision, but his victory
was overturned by the British House of Lords yesterday and he
must now remain in jail for the foreseeable future.

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http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=148788794&p=y487895xx

Belfast Loyalist Has Attempted Murder Charge Dropped

08/07/2005 - 12:19:18

A Belfast loyalist accused of attempted murder has been freed
from jail following a prosecution decision to drop the charges
against him.

The decision is apparently linked to the murder last Friday of
25-year-old Jameson Lockhart, who was the only witness in the
case against Paul Crooks.

Mr Crooks, from Highview Crescent, had been charged with
attempting to murder three men, including Mr Lockhart, on the
Highfield estate in January.

Mr Lockhart, who had connections to the Loyalist Volunteer Force,
was shot dead last week while working at the site of the former
Avenue One bar.

The Ulster Volunteer Force has been blamed for the murder.

Mr Crooks had originally been charged with membership of the UVF
as well as attempted murder, but the membership charge was
dropped earlier in the case.

******************************************

http://www.derryjournal.com/story/6851

Loyalist 'Hardmen' Blamed For Limavady Road Flags

Friday 8th July 2005

Loyalist 'HARDMEN' are being blamed for erecting "intimidating"
Union and Ulster flags along a stretch of main road in Derry's
Waterside.

Residents living in the mixed Limavady Road area are said to be
furious at the proliferation of flags - including the Orange
Order standard --close to their homes.

One resident, who asked not to be named, told the 'Journal' this
week: "Homeowners, both Protestants and Catholic, are really
angry at the erection of these flags.

"They send out the message that this area is controlled by
loyalists --which couldn't be further from the truth.

"I know some people will say that they've been put up because the
main county Orange parade is taking place in the city this year.

"That simply doesn't wash. In previous years, when Derry hosted
the main parade, I cannot recall such a proliferation of flags on
the Limavady Road.

"Indeed, it'll be interesting to see if the flags are removed
once July 12 is over."

The resident also expressed concern at the "message" the flags
send out to people visiting the city.

"For example, I know that some of the games in the Foyle Cup are
being played at nearby St. Columb's Park - what must our
international visitors being saying to themselves when they see
this type of display?"

The homeowner also accused the authorities of "passing the buck"
as regards the flags issue.

"It seems no-one is willing to accept responsibility for the
erection of flags," he said.

"But, at the end of the day, someone must take charge of this -
after all people are suffering as a result of this intimidating
behaviour."

This week, police chiefs acknowledged that the display of flags
was an "emotive" issue.

Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland said: "The flying of
flags is not a policing issue alone. The Police Service is just
one of the partners involved in the protocol, signed earlier this
year, designed to address the flying of flags.

"The responsibility to find a way forward lies with everyone --
statutory agencies, elected and community representatives and the
communities themselves."

Asst. Ch. Cons. McCausland said the display of flags to mark out
geographical areas or to promote sectarianism or intimidation was
"wholly unacceptable in a peaceful and tolerant society."

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http://www.derryjournal.com/story/6865

UDA-Linked Group To Distribute 'Anti-Police' Leaflets

Friday 8th July 2005

The Derry branch of the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) is
to press ahead with plans to distribute 5,000 leaflets urging
local Protestants to report police 'harassment'.

Local PSNI chiefs have branded the leaflets - entitled "Policing
in Londonderry - A Community Matter" - as 'anti-police'.

The flyer includes a questionnaire asking respondents if they
have ever suffered police harassment.

The handout also urges anyone claiming maltreatment to report
their cases to the URPG, Police Ombudsman, the city's District
Policing Partnership (DPP), the Protestant Interface group (PIN)
or a solicitor.

Contact details for all groups are included in the leaflet.

The leaflet also asks respondents if they have ever been
physically attacked by a police officer, if their homes have been
raided or if they have been stopped and searched.

A PSNI spokesman said the leaflet put a Waterside partnership
programme involving police and community leaders at risk.

However, the UPRG - which has links to the UDA --denied the
police assertion, insisting Protestants were keen to work with
police on a range of issues including tackling anti-social
behaviour, on-street drinking and interface tensions.

UPRG spokesman David Nicholl added that police, "like all other
organisations", had a duty to "face facts" and remove a minority
of "troublemakers" from its ranks.

Mr. Nicholl said residents in unionist areas of Derry were of the
opinion that police were more " heavyhanded" in dealing with
young Protestants compared to youths in Catholic areas.

Mr. Nicholl said 50 "trial" leaflets were distributed two
weekends ago outside pubs and clubs.

"As a result, two fresh complaints, relating to incidents in
Lincoln Courts and Nelson Drive, which otherwise would not have
come to light, have been made to the Ombudsman," he said.

He insisted the UPRG would go ahead with a door-todoor drop of
5,000 leaflets. However, this will not take place until after
July 12.

He also cautioned police against withdrawing from a local
partnership programme which allows officers to contact community
representatives in the event of trouble.

A PSNI spokesman insisted police had not withdrawn from the
scheme which has been upandrunning for three years.

"We are considering our position, but these leaflets are anti-
police and very unhelpful in terms of undermining the good
relationship between the community and the police," said a PSNI
spokesman.

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http://www.derryjournal.com/story/6840

Bury Deep Roots To Prevent 'Ethnic Cleansing'

Friday 8th July 2005

Protestants Derry's Waterside must "bury their roots very deep"
to prevent a repeat of the "ethnic cleansing" of unionists that
took place on the city's west bank in the 1970s.

The DUP's Gregory Campbell, who has made the claims, estimates
that, between 1969 and 1972, thousands of Protestants abandoned
the cityside for a variety of reasons - chief among them
intimidation.

The East Derry MP made his comments at the unveiling of a new
Orange Order banner in the city, one side of which depicts the
"exodus" of Protestants from Derry's west bank.

Mr. Campbell says that the initial "exodus" of cityside
Protestants in the early 1970s was followed by a series of
further withdrawals --resulting in "just a few hundred"
remaining.

He elaborated on his remarks to the 'Journal' this week: "The
importance of this topic cannot be overestimated," he said. "We
know that Londonderry was reasonably well integrated up until the
late 1960s. Indeed, on the west bank, the Glen Estate and
Northland Road were predominantly Protestant, while areas such as
Foyle Road, Culmore and even parts of the Creggan and Bogside
contained significant numbers of Protestants.

"It is difficult to get precise figures on the numbers but we
know that, from 1969-1972, the bulk of the movement across the
river occurred.

"The haemorrhaging has gone on for another 30 years at a slower
rate but the figures show how dramatic that loss was.

"In 1973, the first Council elections under the new boundaries
took place; the total number of votes cast on the west bank for
all Unionist candidates was 3,968. Given the turnout, this would
mean there were about 6,000 west bank Unionists on the register;
this, of course, only means that there was 6,000 Unionist adults
over 18 and registered to vote on the west bank.

We then have to add to this total the small number of Unionist
adults who were not registered as well as the significant number
of under 18s. The grand total must have been in the region of
8,000.

"And let's remember that this was in 1973 after most of the
movement had occurred. In recent elections on the west bank of
the Foyle, just over 450 votes were cast for Unionist
candidates."

According to Mr. Campbell, the "bottom line" is that thousands of
Unionists abandoned the cityside between 1969-1972.

"After this initial exodus, 90% of those left in 1973 eventually
moved over the next 30 years, leaving just a few hundred.

"Some were police officers, UDR personnel, prison officers and
others working in other security related employment. Others were
just innocent Protestants with no security background.
Intimidation was rife and everyone knows what can and does still
happen on occasions.

"In any other democratic country in the western hemisphere, a
movement of this magnitude would be worth investigating. However,
the government does not like considering why this movement
occurred. To do so would mean reconsidering funding arrangements,
job opportunities, support for cultural expression.

"The roots that are being put down now on the east bank must be
buried very deep indeed to prevent another phase of ethnic
cleansing like the last one."

******************************************

http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?pt=n&id=62405

Republicans Accused Over Bomber Protest

Republicans were accused of spectacular stupidity today after
they picketed a job centre in west Belfast visited by 20 European
employment ministers and forced Works and Pensions Secretary
David Blunkett to cancel his trip.

Senior Ulster Unionist Assembly member Michael McGimpsey
lambasted around 60 protesters after they staged a protest in
support of IRA bomber Sean Kelly at the Springvale centre.

The former home secretary did not join his European colleagues at
the centre and instead met staff at Belfast City Hall where he
also signed a book of condolence for victims of yesterday`s
terrorist attacks in London.

As Mr Blunkett joined EU colleagues at a reception in Belfast
City Hall, Mr McGimpsey, a former Stormont Culture Minister,
accused the protesters of biting the hand that

fed them.

"I find it astonishing that they staged a protest in support of a
man who was responsible for the murder of 10 people in the
Shankill bomb a day after the carnage in London.

"It is an example of republicans shooting themselves in the foot,
if you pardon the pun.

"It is an example of their extremism taking them on the one hand
into an incomprehensible position and on the other hand damaging
the republican project in the eyes of European ministers.

"When you consider that this protest was staged in an area where
Sinn Fein representatives are always calling for continued
investment from Europe because of deprivation, it is more than
just stupidity. It is biting the hand that feeds them."

Sean Kelly was one of two men who planted a bomb in a Shankill
Road fish shop.

Nine civilians died, as did Kelly`s IRA accomplice, Thomas
Begley.

Kelly received a total of nine life sentences but was freed early
from prison in July 2000 under the Good Friday Agreement.

Last month, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain revoked the
north Belfast man`s early release licence and returned him to
jail because of involvement in terrorist activities.

However the Government has not disclosed the exact reasons for
his detention.

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http://www.salfordadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/201/201677_terrorists_o
range_day_talk_is_an_outrage.html

Terrorist's Orange Day Talk Is 'An Outrage'

FORMER terrorist turned minister David Hamilton has caused
outrage with Councillor David Lancaster who says the timing of
the talk for Orange Day was a mistake.SALFORD Council is outraged
an Eccles church is playing host to a self-confessed former
Northern Ireland terrorist on the most sensitive day of the
Catholic calendar.

David Hamilton, a former member of the notorious protestant
Ulster Volunteer Force, turned evangelist minister, will be
speaking at the Cornerstone Calvary Chapel on July 12, known as
Orange Day in Northern Ireland.

Each year the country is dogged by sectarian clashes as
protestants celebrate the victory of Protestant William of Orange
over Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

The council's head of crime and disorder, Councillor David
Lancaster, has condemned Hamilton's visit.

Cllr Lancaster said: "It is a very sensitive subject, especially
in Salford, with a huge Irish community. I certainly would not be
happy attending and I don't think other people should go to this
event. I will be making sure the police are aware of this, in
case any violence occurs."

Hamilton, 49, originally from Belfast, is now a minister in
Stockport. He served 12 years in prison for bombing a British
Army watchtower in Belfast but openly speaks of other crimes he
was never tried for.

The father-of-five says he is coming to the city to spread the
word of God and will talk about his past crimes.

But Cllr Lancaster said: "I am astonished that people would want
to attend, to give a terrorist, reformed or not, an opportunity
to speak, especially on this day."

Hamilton says the day of his speech is nothing but coincidence.
He said: "It is a big day in Northern Ireland but over here it
means nothing. Over here people don't recognise that date. I have
no say on when I speak."

Hamilton, who says he turned to God during a 12 year stint in
jail for a paramilitary bombing of a British military base, is
inviting the youth of Salford to attend the church meeting.

After joining up with the terrorist faction at the age of 17, he
was involved in paramilitary activity at the height of the
troubles in Northern Ireland.

He says he is still fearful of returning to Belfast, after four
attempts on his life by those he says were IRA men.

A spokesman from Salford Cathedral said the city's Catholic
community should not be alarmed by the ex-terrorist's appearance.

He said: "We are people who preach forgiveness and conversion.
The day he is speaking on could be seen as an unfortunate
coincidence. It all depends on what he is saying. As long as he
is not glorifying his past."

Keith Kelly, the pastor from the Cornerstone Calvary Chapel and
the man responsible for inviting the former UVF member, said: "I
only realised yesterday that it was Orange Day. We hadn't planned
it like that. If anyone is offended, it was just a coincidence."

David Hamilton will speak at the chapel on Old Wellington Road on
Tuesday, July 12, at 7.30pm.

First published by the Salford Advertiser

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http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3254359

PSNI To Scale Down Physical Security For Drumcree March

online.ie
2005-07-08 10:50:02+01

The physical security measures surrounding the annual Orange
Order parade at Drumcree are to be scaled down further this year,
the PSNI announced today.

The march has been banned from entering the nationalist Garvaghy
Road in Portadown for the past eight years due to the Orange
Order's refusal to speak to local residents.

The ban has led to violent protests at Drumcree in the past, but
the demonstrations have been peaceful over the past two years and
the police believe the massive barriers used in previous years
are no longer necessary.

"This year, we plan to scale down the physical security measures
at Drumcree even more than last year and I believe that this will
be noticeable to most people," Chief Superintendent Drew Harris
said today.

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http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3254313

Govt Urges Restraint Ahead Of Contentious Orange Parades

online.ie
2005-07-08 08:30:01+01

The Irish Government has called on both sides of the sectarian
divide in the North to exercise restraint during next week's
Orange Order parades in the wake of the London bombings.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said he also hoped the
attacks in the British capital would help both sides come
together to reach agreement on the parades.

At the moment, nationalists in north Belfast are extremely angry
at a Parades Commission decision to allow a march in Ardoyne,
despite the Orange Order's refusal to speak to local residents.

Sinn Féin has been warning of a real potential for violence, but
Mr Ahern said he hoped yesterday's atrocities would prompt
nationalists and unionists to come together

"We're all human beings and hopefully people on both sides of the
difficulties in relation to parades will see the type of sense
that we've seen portrayed in Derry, where people have come
together and discussed the issues and worked out their
differences," he said.

Meanwhile, the SDLP has called on the Orange Order not to pass
through contentious areas out of respect for yesterday's dead and
for nationalist residents to call off planned protests even if
Orangemen march where they are not wanted.

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http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=62393&pt=n

More Than 50 Dead In London Terror Attack

More than 50 people were killed in yesterday's terror attacks in
London, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said
today.

Sir Ian said there was "great difficulty in determining how many
fatalities" because of the damage at scenes of the bombs blasts
on the rush hour Tube and a bus.

He revealed that there were 700 casualties, 350 people were taken
to hospital, 22 were still in a critical condition and one person
died in hospital.

The commissioner said that the casualty bureau had already
received 104,000 calls.

He said there was "absolutely nothing to suggest that this was a
suicide bombing attack although nothing at this stage can be
ruled out".

He agreed that the attack "bore all the hallmarks" of an al Qaida
operation.

Anti-terrorist branch head Andy Hayman said each of the bombs
contained less than 10lbs of high explosives and they were
probably placed on the floor of the three Tube

trains or, in the case of the bus, on the floor or a seat.

Sir Ian said it was open to question whether the terror cell
responsible for the attack was still in the UK.

But he added: "We must remain vigilant."

The two men leading the manhunt for the bombers were speaking as
defiant Londoners returned to the Tube and the buses today
determined to carry on with their lives.

Although there were fewer commuters than usual, hundreds of
thousands of people made their daily journeys into a city which
still bore the scars of yesterday`s co-ordinated terror attacks.

As the capital prepared to mark the 60th anniversary of the end
of World War II this weekend, there was the same resolve that
life would go on whatever the terrorists had hoped to achieve.

British Home Secretary Charles Clarke said all efforts were being
concentrated on catching the bombers to stop them striking again.

"The number one purpose today is to identify the perpetrators and
arrest them because there is obviously a danger if there is a
group that has committed these attacks not brought to justice and
therefore able to continue thinking about carrying out further
attacks.

"That is, of course, the number one preoccupation the police and
security services have at this moment," he said.

He said the British government was taking seriously a claim on a
website from an al Qaida group that it was responsible.

The Home Secretary defended the decision to lower the level of
security threat in the capital before the attacks, saying that
all the security services thought the risk had got "slightly
lower".

"Obviously it was wrong. We have looked very carefully at the
threat we are now under, particularly in the light of events
yesterday, and the threat level will be increased."

He agreed that the authorities had "absolutely no idea"
yesterday`s attacks were being planned.

But he denied claims that London`s security had been compromised
because of Metropolitan Police officers being deployed to the G8
summit in Scotland.

The largest atrocity in peacetime London began at 8.51am
yesterday when seven people died following the first blast in a
Tube tunnel 100 yards from Liverpool Street Station.

At 8.56am, a blast in a tunnel between King`s Cross and Russell
Square left 21 people dead.

At 9.17am, seven people died after an explosion ripped through a
tunnel wall at Edgware Road station, damaging three trains.

At 9.47am a blast tore the roof off of a red number 30 double
decker bus packed with commuters forced above ground after the
Tube network had been shut down.

Scotland Yard said two people were confirmed dead in the bus
blast but eyewitnesses spoke of seeing more bodies.

An operation was today under way to recover the bodies of the 21
people who died close to King`s Cross station.

Chief Superintendent Willie McCafferty, British Transport Police
commander at King`s Cross station, said: "That operation will
take as long as it takes.

"Anti-terrorist squad officers are searching the scene and
gathering evidence.

"I would think it would be at least two days before
investigations are complete and the station is able to reopen."

The National Co-ordination Centre confirmed that the bodies of
all of the dead are to be moved to London mortuaries by noon.

The Queen and the Prince of Wales were today visiting people
caught up in the bomb tragedy.

Scotland Yard said there would be an increased visible police
presence across the capital today.

Extra patrols will include officers from the Met, City of London
Police and British Transport Police.

A spokesman said: "The officers are there to assist and reassure
the public, particularly in communities where people may feel
vulnerable at this time, and are not a response to any specific
threat.

"We are encouraging the public to remain vigilant and to report
any unattended items or suspicious activity to transport staff or
the police."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today urged the
country to "take courage" in the face of the terrorist attacks on
London.

"The only finally adequate response to terror and evil is to
gather ourselves... to reach down into what feeds the roots of
our spirit, trusting that justice, mercy and joy are never going
to be silenced or paralysed.

"And when we know that, we are ready to begin again on the long
road of the long task of making humanity really human," he said
as he delivered BBC Radio 4`s Thought For The Day.

Scotland Yard has issued a casualty hotline number on 0870 1566
344.

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http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=62379&pt=n

Anxious Irish Citizens Phone London Bombs Helpline

There are still no reports of any Irish casualties from
yesterday's London bombings but an emergency helpline has been
receiving many calls from Irish citizens seeking information on
loved ones, officials said today.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin
said the emergency phone line set up yesterday had been receiving
lots of calls from people worried about friends and relatives in
the British capital.

In the wake of the bombs, many people were unable to get through
to the UK as the mobile networks were jammed with callers
checking their loved ones were safe.

"We`re not aware of any reports of Irish casualties, and the
consular section is working very closely with the embassy in
London," the spokeswoman said.

Scotland Yard put the confirmed death toll at 37 but that looked
set to rise with 95 seriously injured among the 300 casualties
taken to hospital.

An emergency centre has been set up in the Department of Foreign
Affairs in Ireland for anyone in the Irish Republic and Northern
Ireland concerned about relatives in London.

It can be contacted on 1800 242 548.

An emergency centre has also been set up at the Irish Embassy in
London for Irish citizens based in Britain. The Embassy`s numbers
for those citizens are 020 7201 2508 or 020 7201 2501.

Irish leaders have been united in expressing sympathy with
Londoners and outrage at the terrorist attacks.

******************************************

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=651583

Ulster's Messages Of Support

By Andrea Clements
08 July 2005

Messages of condemnation and sympathy last night continued to
come in from local political figures in the aftermath of the
London bombings.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, the DUP's Wallace Browne, sent support to
those trying to cope following yesterday's "vile" attacks, on
behalf of the people of the city.

He said: "We faced 30 years of terrorist attacks across Northern
Ireland with thousands of people losing their lives. We therefore
empathise with the plight that the citizens of London now face.

"The people of London, just as the people of Northern Ireland,
must be determined to ensure that terrorism never prevails."

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the attacks would "instil deep fear
among the London community and profound grief among the families
of those of who have been fatally injured".

He said it was an "outrageous tragedy" London should be in the
news for negative reasons just one day after it had celebrated
the decision that it would host the 2012 Olympics."

"At a time when the eyes of the world are on the G8 Summit and
the possibility of agreed action to address some of the
fundamental injustices in this world, it is all the more
appalling that such an awful injustice should be perpetrated on
completely innocent people," added Mr Durkan.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also condemned the attacks.

He said he had sent a message of sympathy to Prime Minister Tony
Blair and to the mayor of London Ken Livingstone.

"On behalf of Sinn Fein I offer my sincere condolences to the
victims and the families of those killed and injured and the
people of London," he said.

Alliance Party Leader, David Ford MLA, said: "These acts of
terrorism were callous attacks on innocent members of the public,
fatally caught up, whether as commuting workers, shoppers or
tourists.

"The explosions come as a particular shock, especially
considering that only yesterday we were celebrating London's
victory of securing the hosting of the 2012 Olympics."

Ulster Unionist MLA Samuel Gardiner described the bombs as an
attack on the whole of the UK and on a democratic way of life.

He said: "This is a time when we should all recall the links
between all the terrorist organisations throughout the world.

"It is a time when we should remember that our own supposedly
former terrorists will have a lot of convincing to do, to
persuade the Unionist people that they have really left terror
behind them."
Posted by: Unknown / 8:06 AM
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