From: "Magnus Bernhardsen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Peoples War] Fwd: [ R . S . F news] Defence of nationalist north Belfast continues (Jan 7-9, 02) *********** Vidaresendt melding *********** Den 30.01.02 klokka 12:43 skreiv saoirse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> : Defence of nationalist north Belfast continues Note: Members of Republican Sinn Féin were on the streets of north Belfast, alongside the nationalist community. We make no apology for standing shoulder to shoulder with the people who have faced a combined force of Brit occupation forces and loyalism. They have stood up against an onslaught of terrorism and have refused to let this terrorism beat them. They have suffered all kinds of injuries, from Crown Forces batons to plastic bullets. They have been petrol bombed, pipe and blast bombed and faced bullets from loyalist gunmen. Ask any member of Republican Sinn Féin what they think of those people of nationalist north Belfast and they'll tell you that they are proud to be a part of the people, a brave people. Unlike Provisional Brit Crown ministers who sit at the seat of Unionism at Stormont making excuses for the resistance of the nationalist people towards an Orange statelet and Brit occupation, to appease an occupying government, Republican Sinn Féin openly supports that resistance to this Six County statelet and the occupation, loyalism, sectarianism and hate that this unjust statelet nurtures. The Minister of the Crown sitting in Stormont make apologies for this resistance. They tell the world on news reports they couldn't control the situation, always sure not to use that word - resistance. MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2002. The return to school for the children of Holy Cross is nothing new. As they walked up the Ardoyne Road there were groups of loyalists along the road. Some shouting went on as before, foul and sectarian, but this was just another day of the school walk. There was a lot of tension in the air but the morning passed off with no more than that. Monday afternoon went on the same way and there was a feeling there was a build-up to something more. TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2002. Tuesday passed off as Monday with a repeat of the sectarianism seen so often before. There was also a feeling of an uneasy calm but apart from a few minor incidents Tuesday passed off quiet. WESNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2002. Wednesday morning. 8.45am. As the children and parents of Holy Cross walked up the Ardoyne Road to school and passed by the Brit/RUC occupation forces they came face to face with groups of loyalist bigots at Glenbryn. Sectarian and foul catcalls were made against the children of Holy Cross and their parents. The parents were treated the same way as they returned back down the Ardoyne Road again. Around 2.00pm on Wednesday afternoon the parents of the Holy Cross children walked up the Ardoyne Road to pick up their children. Again they were faced with loyalist bigots with their foul sectarian mouths. As they picked the children up and began the walk back down the Ardoyne Road again a crowd of loyalists were now standing in their way. There was sectarian abuse being thrown and the loyalists began bumping into the parents and children as they walked past. At one stage three men (big brave loyalists) set upon a mother and her two young children. The woman was beaten by the men as the children became very scared and upset. With news of the attacks on the Holy Cross children and their parents, hundreds of nationalists made their way to the Ardoyne to make sure all the children were out of the school. Fighting then took place, with the nationalists trying to make it to the school as it became clear that there were still children in the Holy Cross school cut off and unable to get home by the Ardoyne Road. 2.20pm. They Holy Cross primary school was now under attack from loyalist mobs. Nationalists tried to push through RUC/Brit army lines to get to the school. Running battles took place with nationalist street fighters pushing the loyalists down side streets and other nationalist fighters trying to push through Brit occupation forces lines to get to the school. Fighting was now taking place in the Alliance Road. A number of cars were damaged there. These cars were used by the UDA/UFF, UVF to bring loyalist paramilitaries into the area from the Shankill and other loyalist areas. These cars were put out of action and no doubt upsetting the movement of loyalist paramilitary groups within this area for a time. As luck would have it, two cars belonging to Brit ministers at Stormont, David Trimble and his side kick Mark Durkan were also wrecked. Members of these Brit ministers staff were visiting the area as loyalist hate-filled bigots attacked Holy Cross primary school. It should be noted that these people were not visiting the school but loyalist bigots in the area. Around 3.00pm news came out that no children were now in the school. As the children were taken out the back of the school down the Crumlin Road. 3.10pm. A Brit armoured car and Land Rover drove up Alliance Ave and were stopped by nationalists who blocked the road. Crowds got round the first armoured car and tried to force the doors open to get at the Brits inside. They were unable to do this so they cause came to it, forcing the armoured car to drive backwards down the Alliance at speed, leaving the second Land Rover to the mercy of the nationalist street fighters, who by now, after suffering occupation forces attacks on their people for over an hour on this one afternoon had very little mercy, if any, to show. The Land Rover by now was surrounded, the Brits unable to move, with the street fighters trying to push it on its side. After trying to force their way into the Land Rover the Brits hit reverse, going back down Alliance Ave, hitting a number of parked cars on the way, writing one car off. Fighting was now going on on a number of fronts. Loyalists who came out of Twaddle Ave attacked people at the Ardoyne shops. Nationalists went to the area and heavy fighting took place. It was now 3.45pm. Loyalists were pushed back as Brit/RUC occupation forces blocked the Crumlin Road at Twaddell Ave, Woodvale Road and Brompton Park. As crowds faced each other here crowds of nationalists were still making their way to the area as word got round of what had happened at Holy Cross. As some of the nationalist women went to block part of the road in peaceful protest a 17 year old nationalist youth was run down by an RUC Land Rover. The youth suffered a number of injuries when the RUC Land Rover mounted the kerb and hit him. Also 41-year-old Mrs Gemma Di Lucia, a mother of two, was knocked down by loyalists driving a car at speed and was dragged along the road for a distance. Mrs Di Lucia suffered a number of injuries to her arms, shoulder and chest. Both the youth and Mrs Di Lucia were very lucky to be alive. Around 4.20pm. Loyalist mobs came out of Hesketh Road (This is a street which leads from Glenbryn to the Crumlin Road). At least ten men from the loyalist mob broke into a nationalist house on the Crumlin Road. To cheers and sectarian catcalls from the mob the house was wrecked. It was just luck no-one was at home when the attack took place. The mob then moved up the road to Mercy primary. Another Catholic primary school in the same area as Holy Cross primary. There's less than half a mile between both schools. Nationalists, on witnessing what was happening, started off up the Crumlin Road. By now numbering around 300 or more, with hundreds more looking on, as the nationalist street fighters came face to face with the loyalist rioters heavy fighting took place. The loyalist mob, now being pushed back into Hesketh again it was here that a loyalist gunman stepped out and opened fire with a shotgun. Three nationalists were wounded at this stage, one suffering head, face and chest wounds, the others suffered wounds to the head and body. All three were taken out of the area by car. Fighting went on for a number of hours, very heavy, at the top of Brompton Park, Ardoyne shops and Twaddell Ave, dying down at about 6.00pm with a stand-off between nationalists on one side and Brit/RUC occupations forces and loyalists on the other side. Around 6.30pm the RUC once again started driving Land Rovers into groups of nationalist men, women and children. Land Rovers once again mounted the footpaths. One man who tried to get out of the way of an oncoming Land Rover moved onto the road and was hit by another Land Rover near to the front gates of Holy Cross chapel on the Crumlin Road. He suffered a number of injuries and was taken to hospital in a bad way. 7.00pm. Fighting once again broke out at the top of Brompton Park. Nationalist street fighters were now battling with Brit/RUC occupation forces and, behind these forces, loyalist rioters throwing petrol bombs, bricks and bottles towards Ardoyne from Twaddell Ave. Nationalist street fighters at this stage replied with whatever they found at hand. As the night drew in nationalist street fighters soon had a number of petrol bomb factories set up, making petrol bombs which were in much demand by the nationalist street fighters who were now using scores of this defence weapon . . . . (to be continued) _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
