UDA Threat to Catholic Community Worker

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday January 24, 2003 19:01 by Hebe

The IRSP has described as "extremely sinister" a UDA threat to a Catholic cross-community worker after she helped a pregnant woman home to her house in Glenbryn.

North Belfast News
24 January 2003

UDA Threat to Catholic Community Worker

The IRSP has described as "extremely sinister" a UDA threat to a
Catholic cross-community worker after she helped a pregnant woman
home to her house in Glenbryn.

The incident happened on Thursday when the 39-year-old crèche
worker was singled out after walking the young Protestant woman home
from Alliance after minding her children all morning.

The mother-of-four said her friend was hysterical when she telephoned
her to tell her that two UDA men had stopped her 11-year-old daughter
to ask where in Glenbryn her mother lived.

The two men warned the woman that she was not to bring the woman into
Glenbryn again or she would be punished.

And now the Catholic worker says she will leave her job to protect
her friend.

"She is one of the girls who come into my work to do classes and
training. I helped her home the day before because she is pregnant
and had a baby as well," said the woman who did not want to be
identified.

And in a chilling warning, in direct reference to the eviction of
families by the UDA in Glenbryn this week, the woman was told she
could easily become one of them.

"They told her people had been put out for less," said the community
worker.

"Her daughter had been told to bring the men to the house. I just
don't know what to make of it. What harm is there in two women
walking home from a cross-community group and one helping the other."

Paul Little of the IRSP said that Catholic workers were being
intimidated out of their jobs and he branded the episode as another
example of ethnic cleansing.

"The situation is extremely sinister and worrying for Catholic
workers in the community sector," he said.

"While much is being made of unionist and loyalist perceptions.
the brutal reality for nationalists is that they are going to
continue to be victimised regardless of the Good Friday Agreement,"
he said.

"It should come as no surprise that those who issued the threat
believe that ethnic cleansing is a justifiable reason to force a
person out of their employment. These are the same people who think
it is perfectly ok to terrify and intimidate primary school children
at Holy Cross."