McGuinness warns of rising violence
DUBLIN: The rise of “rabid sectarianism” in Northern Ireland is a source of concern as the province’s divisive marching season gets under way, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said yesterday.
McGuinness, whose Sinn Fein shares power with pro-British parties, said the killing of a Catholic community worker in the town of Coleraine reflected the tensions that still exist despite a 1998 peace deal.
“Given the events of recent times, not least the disgusting murder of Kevin McDaid in Coleraine, it is a source of concern that we have people who think it’s a good idea to try and plunge our society back into conflict,” McGuinness said.
He said the only thing missing in the Coleraine incident was “the white hoods, the burning crucifixes and the Ku Klux Klan”.
“There is a responsibility on all political leaders to stand together and face up to the rabid sectarianism that there is in certain parts of the north,” said McGuinness, a former IRA guerrilla commander.
Northern Ireland’s Protestant community hold a series of marches during the summer months, peaking on July 12 when parades to celebrate a centuries-old military victory often trigger sectarian violence with minority Catholics.
The province has enjoyed a relative peace since a 1998 agreement ended the Irish Republican Army’s (IRA) military campaign against British rule.
But rioting and violence still breaks out between neighbouring Protestant and Catholic communities.
Sinn Fein, which wants to rid Northern Ireland of British control, has traditionally used its influence in nationalist communities to keep a lid on violence during the marching season, which runs until the end of August.
But it has lost clout in some hardline neighbourhoods due to dissatisfaction over perceived concessions to former enemies and McGuinness’s denunciation of dissident nationalist groups who killed two soldiers and a policeman in March.
Dissidents have threatened to kill McGuinness and senior Sinn Fein members have had their houses petrol-bombed and their cars vandalised.
Drew Nelson, grand secretary of the Orange Order Protestant fraternity, said disgruntled nationalists were already stirring up trouble ahead of the marches.
Orange Halls, where the organisation meets, have recently been attacked with paint bombs and graffiti.
“It’s a very emotive thing. It strikes at the heart of the Protestant community when halls and parades are attacked,” Nelson said.
“We will be targeted by dissident republicans to up the ante, to increase tensions.”
