The Five Demands

Cattolici sotto tiro a Coleraine e Rasharkin

Coleraine. Due ragazze cattoliche di 14 e 17 anni sono rimaste vittime di un attacco avvenuto venerdì sera alle 21.20 circa nelle vicinanze di Greenhall Highway. Stando a quanto riferito i responsabili potrebbe appartenere a bande lealiste.
A tal proposito al PSNI sta cercando di ricostruire i movimenti di un minibus rosso sul quale sarebbero stati a bordo. Billy Leonard, rappresentante Sinn Fein, premettendo che venerdì sera si è consumata ‘la più bassa delle bassezze’ ha riportato che a quanto riferito alcuni degli abbartenenti alla banda lealista sarebbero scesi dal veicolo cercando lo scontro con un gruppo di giovani, ma non ottenendo soddisfazione uno di loro avrebbe iniziato a prendere a calci al volto la ragazza di 14 anni, la quale ha riportato serie ferite ad un occhio.
Rasharkin. Bersagliata da attacco settario per la seconda volta in un mese, l’abitazione di una famiglia cattolica del paese nella contea di Antrim.
Stando a quanto riportato una macchina si è fermata fuori dalla casa di famiglia del calciatore nordirlandese Chris Baird, lanciando una molotov che non ha causato fortunatamente feriti, ma bruciature alla struttura.
Daithi McKay, Sinn Fein, ha visto nell’attacco settario un chiaro ‘tentato omicidio’, “Questo è stato un attacco totalmente settario contro famiglia cattolica ed è la seconda volta che la casa viene mirata in queste ultime settimane. Le persone sono scioccati e disgustate da tutto questo ed è per pura fortuna che questa molotov non abbia dato fuoco alla casa. Avremmo potuto dare notizia di un omicidio questa mattina e ciò indica il grado di gravità di un attacco”.
“Le sole ragione per cui questa famiglia è stato scelta è perché è cattolica e  un facile bersaglio”.

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Family targeted in petrol bomb attack (U TV)
A catholic family has escaped injury following a petrol bomb attack on their home in Rasharkin, Co Antrim.
It is the second time the house has been targeted this month.
It is understood a car pulled up outside the home and the missile was throw in the early hours of Sunday morning.
No-one was injured but scorch damage was caused to the property in the centre of the village
North Antrim Sinn Fein MLA Daithí McKay has said the attack was “attempted murder”.
Mr McKay added: “This was a totally sectarian attack on an Catholic family and is the second time the house has been targeted in recent weeks. People here are shocked and disgusted by this and it is by sheer luck that this petrol bomb didn’t set light to the house. We could have been reporting a murder here this morning which indicates how serious an attack this was”.
“The only reasons that this family has been singled out is because they are Catholic and are an easy target”.
DUP Ballymoney councillor John Finlay has also condemned the attack in Rasharkin as “both deplorable and unjustified”.
“I totally condemn this attack on an innocent family in the early hours of Sunday morning”, he said.
“This attack was both deplorable and unjustified. I am thankful that no-one was hurt and appeal for anyone with information to bring it forward to the PSNI.
“I would further appeal for no retaliating attacks within the community.”

Girls hurt in sectarian ‘band’ attack (U TV)
Two Catholic teenagers were the target of a suspected sectarian attack in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, on Friday night.
The girls, aged 14 and 17, sustained facial injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening in the Greenmount area of the town, a police spokesperson said.
The teenagers were close to Greenhall Highway when they were assaulted by up to six people at around 9.20pm.
Police are investigating reports that loyal order bandsmen may have been involved in the incident.
Detectives have appealed for information and want to trace the movements of a red mini-van seen in the area at the time.
It is believed that the minibus came from the Garvagh direction along the Dunhill Road towards Coleraine before travelling back in the direction of Greenmount.
East Derry Sinn Féin MLA Billy Leonard has described the incident as “the lowest of the low”.
Mr Leonard said that, according to reports, “loyalist band members” were travelling in the red minibus.
“Some of them immediately got out of the vehicle and charged at a group of young men. As they returned to their minibus without getting the fight they obviously wanted one of the uniformed bandsmen literally kicked the 14-year-old girl on the side of her head.
“We could have so easily been talking about a death if the kick had landed a couple of centimetres away.”
Mr Leonard said the youngest girl was badly bruised particularly around her eye and was treated for her injuries at Causeway’s A&E unit.
“This has obviously been extremely traumatic for the young lady, her friends at the scene and then her parents who received worrying phone calls.
“I will be talking to the Parades Commission about their role in this context,” Mr Leonard said.

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