Interface residents in plea over attacks
RESIDENTS on the loyalist side of a troubled interface in east Belfast have spoken of their fear following “eight months of continuous sectarian attacks” on their street.
And in an appeal to the PSNI to “stop ignoring us” and do something about the lethal missiles that are being thrown over the peace wall that separates them from their nationalist neighbours, the residents of Cluan Place have expressed concern that paramilitaries could step in and retaliate.
Women and children spoke yesterday of the industrial metal bolts, snooker and golf balls, glass bottles, stones and petrol bombs that have been thrown over the divide in “countless attacks” – all of which have been reported to the police.
Mother-of-two Emma Dryburgh had a petrol bomb thrown into her back garden at the start of July.
“The whole garden was on fire,” she said.
“All of my kids’ toys went up in flames. What if that had happened while they were playing in the garden?
“Is that what they want, to hear on the news that one of our children has been buried? If one of those metal bolts or snooker balls were to hit a child on the head, it would kill them stone dead.”
Danielle Brown is on the Housing Executive’s waiting list to be moved out of Cluan Place.
“My eldest asks me all the time, ‘Are those bad boys going to come and throw stones at me?’” she said.
“She’s afraid to sleep in her own bed and she’s developed a stutter, which I think was brought on by this.”
She recalled an incident last October when around 40 glass bottles were thrown over the wall at 10pm on a Sunday night.
“I had to get the kids out of bed, put blankets over them and run them out of the street. I don’t know how many times we’ve all had to scoop up our kids and run for safety,” she said.
Maggie Hutton, a community worker in the area, said the police must step up and take action.
“When the police do respond to the reports, they pass them off as small anti-social behaviour problems, but this is sectarian and if you throw a pebble into the river, it ripples.
“If our community feels they’re (the police) not doing their job, who do we have to turn to?
“Other people will get involved, they will retaliate and there will be a lot of trouble. We don’t want that – all we want is to live in peace.”
A PSNI spokesman denied that Cluan Place was being ignored, saying it responds to “all reported incidents in accordance with the threat posed to individuals”.
He added that police visibility has been increased in the area.
“This police presence has also sought to validate the nature of reports received and, where possible, identify people involved,” he said.
“Cluan Place is on an interface area and is subject to a number of associated interface problems that are challenging for both the individuals living in these areas and for wider society.”
