Short Strand

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday August 16, 2002 15:32 by Mags

WORST NIGHT OF VIOLENCE YET

A report from a resident of the Short Strand in Belfast about what happened there last night and this morning.

WORST NIGHT OF VIOLENCE YET!

A CHAIRDE, I CANNOT DESCRIBE THE SITUATION IN THIS AREA LAST NIGHT. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!

SINCE 1:30PM THE USUAL ATTACKS WERE BEING CARRIED OUT AGAINST RESIDENTS OF CLANDEYBOY. AT AROUND 7:00PM I MYSELF VENTURED UP, BECAUSE I HEARD THINGS HAD GOTTEN A BIT HOT. I STAYED FOR A GOOD WHILE OBSERVING SO CALLED "PROTESTERS" ON THE OTHER SIDE. WHEN AGAIN THE BRITS AND PEELERS ALLOWED FURTHER MISSILE ATTACKS ON OUR HOMES. LOCAL PPL RETALIATED AND THE RUC YET AGAIN BURST INTO THIS DISTRICT IN FULL RIOT GEAR, YET AGAIN THEY WERE SENT RUNNING!

AGAIN HOMES WERE SET ALIGHT, PIPE BOMBS THROWN OVER AND SEVERAL PPL HIT BY PLASTIC BULLETS. WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON, THE SCUM ATTACKED SEVERAL ISOLATED BUNGALOWS IN STRAND WALK YET AGAIN WITH PIPE BOMBS.

LATER ON WELL OVER 150 FIREWORKS WERE LAUNCHED INTO THE SHORT STRAND, AGAIN WHEN PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO DEFEND THEIR HOMES THE ARMY ABSALUTELY FLOODED CLANDEYBOY RESTRICTING PPL INTO HOMES AND BLOCKING EVERY ENTRANCE AND EXIT. BASICALLY A CURFEW AND MARTIAL LAW WERE DECLARED ON THE DISTRICT FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. WHILE THE BRITS RANSACKED PPL'S FRONT AND BACK GARDENS THE ATTACK BY LOYALISTS WAS STILL ALLOWED TO GO ON!!!

THIS WAS SERIOUS STUFF, EVERY STREET IN THE AREA WAS DISRUPTED BY THE ARMY SEARCHLIGHT ON THE CHOPPER SHINING INTO THEIR HOMES AND GARDENS!!!!!

AS THE ARMY WERE WITHDRAWING FROM THE AREA, IN QUITE A HURRY LOL, WE BEGAN A HUGE AND PRIDE FILLING RENDITION OF "GO ON HOME"!!!!!!!!! PERSONALLY IT PICKED ME RIGHT UP AND FOR A SECOND AT LEAST TOOK AWAY SOME OF THE FRIGHT, WORRY, TIREDNESS AND ANGER BOILING UP WITHIN ME AND I'M SURE MANY OTHERS.

THIS STORY, ALTHOUGH LIGHT HEARTED, DOES BY NO MEANS TAKE AWAY FROM THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION LAST NIGHT.

OLDER PEOPLE WERE SAYING IT WAS THE WORST THEY HAD SEEN IN 25 YEARS!!!!

THIS AREA WAS PUT UNDER COMPLETE, UTTER AND TOTAL SIEGE YESTERDAY AND THIS MORNING, AND THAT MEANS WE WERE ALLOCATED, OHHHHH ABOUT 3 AND A HALF MINUTES ON BBC NEWSLINE AT 1:30.