AGGREDITO IL DIRETTORE DEL SUNDAY WORLD
Il direttore del Sunday World dichiara che non si lascerà intimidire dagli spacciatori di droga, dopo l’aggressione subita a Belfast
Jim McDowell, 60 anni, è stato aggredito ieri pomeriggio alle 16.30 a pochi metri dalla City Hall, dove si era recato a visitare il mercatino natalizio di Belfast.
McDowell è stato vittima di un pestaggio furioso da parte di 4 uomini, tra le urla di donne e bambini.
Il direttore del Sunday World ha dichiarato: “Non mi intimidiranno, non intimidiranno il mio giornale. Continueremo a smascherare questi ragazzi. Sono para-mafiosi, sono paramilitari. Credo di sapere chi siano gli spacciatori di droga”.
L’aggressione è avvenuta solo una quindicina di giorni dopo atti vandalici ai danni della sua auto al di fuori del tribunale di Craigavon (contea di Armagh) dove McDowell aveva presenziato ad un’udienza in connessione con l’omicidio dei uno dei suoi giornalisti, Martin O’Hagan. Fu ucciso a Lurgan nel 2001 per mano lealista.
McDowell era già stato minacciato in passato sia da fazioni repubblicane, che lealiste ed ha accusato gli spacciatori di droga di questa ultima aggressione.
Prima di essere assalito ha sentito una voce che gli avrebbe detto: “Tu hai ucciso mio fratello” oppure “Stai cercando di uccidere mio fratello”, la vittima non è certa della parole esatte ed ha aggiunto: “Il mio problema più grande è la loro arroganza”; gli aggressori infatti non si sono nemmeno allontanati ma hanno continuato a deriderlo a distanza.
“Sarò al lavoro domattina. Non ci fermeranno. Non posso attaccare la libertà di parola, la libertà di espressione o la libertà di stampa. Non ce le toglieranno. Non mi fermeranno”.
La polizia ha fornito frammentarie descrizioni di 2 degli aggressori. Uno sarebbe alto 1,75 m circa, sbarbato e di carnagione pallida. Indossava una maglia nera con cappuccio e un cappello di lana a strisce nere. L’altro individuo è stato descritto di corporatura tarchiata, capelli cortissimi sulle tempie e calvo nella parte superiore. Indossava una giacca rossa e pantaloni scuri.
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The Northern editor of the Sunday World newspaper has told UTV he will not be intimidated by “drug dealers” after he was attacked in the centre of Belfast.
Jim McDowell, 60, was kicked and punched by four men just yards from City Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
He was injured in the head, arms and legs.
“They gave me a furious beating,” McDowell told UTV Live Tonight.
“I was punched and beaten to the ground in front of screaming children and screaming women, and this is in front of Belfast City Hall.”
“They won’t intimidate me, they won’t intimidate my paper. We will still expose these boys. They’re para-mafia. They’re paramilitaries. I think I know they’re drug dealers.”
The attack happened less than a fortnight after his car was smashed up outside a court in Craigavon, Co Armagh as he attended a hearing involving a number of men charged in connection with the murder of one of his reporters, Martin O’Hagan.
Mr O’Hagan was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in Lurgan, Co Armagh in September 2001.
Jim McDowell had been visiting Belfast’s Christmas market in the grounds of City Hall when he was knocked to the ground at around 4.30pm.
Earlier he attended a special reception for James Kelly, a columnist with the Irish News newspaper.
He has been threatened several times before by loyalists and republicans and has blamed drugs dealers for the attack.
“I heard this voice behind me saying either: ‘You killed my brother’ or ‘You’re trying to get my brother killed’, and before I even turned around I was jumped from the back and received a big dig in the side of my head, then a dig in the other side of my head,” he told UTV Live Tonight.
“My biggest problem is their arrogance.”
“These boys didn’t even run away. They swaggered away, as if it didn’t matter.”
“I’ll be in my work in the morning. They won’t stop us. They cannot attack the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression or the freedom of the press. They’ll not get away with this. They’ll not stop me.”
Police said one of the attackers was described as being 5 ft 9ins, clean shaven with a pale complexion. He was wearing a black hooded top and a distinctive black striped woolly hat.
A second man is described as being of stocky build. He had hair cropped at the sides and was bald on top. He was wearing a red jacket and dark trousers.
Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
The Five Demands 
His “news paper” is just a bullshit. He deserve what happen to him…
"Mi piace""Mi piace"