PHOEBE CLAWSON FAMILY STATEMENT
My name is Tricia McAuley and I am the aunt of Phoebe Clawson. Phoebe is 16 years old and last night she was the victim of a deliberate attack when an orange order member drove his car at her and other residents on thw front of the Crumlin road.
Phoebe was trapped underneath the car and has suffered a broken collarbone, broken ankle and a shattered pelvis. She is in extreme pain and is unable to have any surgery until next week. While her physical injuries are severe, the physiological scars may never heal.
Our family would like to thank the people of Ardoyne, and those from across Ireland and beyond, who have sent their best wishes to Phoebe and those who have thought and prayed for her well being. We would like to thank local residents who assisted Phoebe in the immediate aftermath of this attack, and GARC for ensuring the young people were kept fully informed on the ground. I also want to thank all the young people of the area for their restraint while Phoebe waited on an ambulance.
This would not have happened if there was no demand to march through our area. This would not have happened if the PSNI had did what GARC asked them to do prior to the attempted murder of Phoebe and closed the road to prevent sectarian abuse from passing cars. It is time for an end to parades in the morning and evening if the result is a teenage girl lying in hospital with bones shattered by a bigot that tried to kill her.
It is our family’s opinion that this was attempted murder. Not an accident or the result of a man panicking. He wasn’t trying to save himself, he was trying to kill people and very nearly succeeded. His refusal to get out of the car so Phoebe could be freed from underneath shows what type of bigot he is.
This community watched as loyalists threw everything at school girls going to Holy Cross. This included members of our family. Now we have had to watch Phoebe ran over by a loyalist in his car. Enough is enough. The parades through this area have to stop,and the violence that accompanies them has to stop too.
Once more thank you to everyone.
Photogallery (from the Facebook page of Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective)
