The Five Demands

Six men ‘ordered out of Derry’ (UTV)

Dissident republicans have ordered six young men to leave Derry in the last two weeks.

Armed vigilantes have accused the men – who live in nationalist areas of the city – of antisocial behaviour, warning them to leave the area or be shot.

It is understood that two of them have decided to flee the city.

The families of some of the young men are seeking help from an organisation based in the city called Time2Choose.

Funded by the lottery and the International Fund For Ireland, it mediates with paramilitary groupings on behalf of victims in an attempt to have threats lifted.

The organisation has been established in the last few months following work carried out by the Rosemount Resource Centre, who say they’ve helped over 300 people in similar situations in just two years.

Tommy McCourt, of the Resource Centre, said that the issuing of threats is an ongoing problem and is happening almost on a daily basis.

“We would have people coming to us and telling us that they have been threatened – or that threats have been passed through our organisation and so on – almost daily,” he said.

Other young men under similar threats have been murdered, maimed and exiled.

Dissident republican paramilitaries are being blamed for acting as violent vigilantes.

SDLP Councillor Pat Ramsey said: “We can’t have hooded men deciding whether somebody should be kneecapped or somebody should be executed or in these circumstances, some people should be put out of town.

“There’s a better way of doing it.”

He told UTV that dissidents have been “off the stage” for some months in the city.

“It’s time they stayed off that stage.”

Michael Doherty, of the Peace and Reconciliation Group, said that the families of those being threatened are living in fear.

“Well, can you imagine if somebody with a mask arrives at your door, how you would feel? No matter what the young person has done,” he said.

“The families themselves may not be aware of what the young people have done. So they are living in fear that someone may come and attempt to injure not only the young person who is under threat- but other members of the family.”