Since Saturday May 11th the Catholic/nationalist community in the Short Strand, a small enclave
situated on the edge of predominately Protestant/Unionist east Belfast, has been subjected to an
organized, concerted and unrelenting campaign of sectarian violence and intimidation.
Just the other night a pensioners bungalow was attacked with petrol bombs setting the roof ablaze. But for the vigilance of local residents and a hose permanently connected to
a water hydrant this bungalow could have been burned to the ground and its occupants killed. The hose connected to the
hydrant is one of many in the area, put in place to quickly extinguish these almost
nightly attacks.
This attack, like many similar to it, failed to be considered news worthy enough for the visual media and only constituted third
item on the radio media.
Since the 11th May there have been over 100 pipe bombs thrown at residents and property within Short Strand and yet the
RUC/PSNI have only declared two crime scenes and consider the other 98+ pipe bombs unworthy of investigation.
The RUC/PSNI are not the only ones who have failed the people of Short Strand. The members of the press have let us down
also. Their investigation into attacks have left a lot to be desired.
With a population of 3,000 and surrounded by a Unionist/Loyalist population of almost 90,000 one should find it totally
unrealistic to think that these attacks are being launched from Short Strand, but yet this is what
the so-called free press is portraying.
A peaceful rally beside a mural painted to highlight the siege on this community was recently held within the area.
Media presence at this rally was quite obvious to all the residents of this community to see.
A short time into the rally masked Loyalists came through police and army lines on the edge of Short Strand and proceed to
attack homes and residents with bricks, bottles and sticks and whatever else they had. The RUC/PSNI released a statement
the next day admitting this breach of their security deigned to protect the people of this community.
Imagine the horror of the people of the Short Strand when they turned on their televisions and saw edited footage of the rally portraying them as the
instigators as they repelled the attack on themselves by masked Loyalists.
One only has to look once at this footage to know who the perpetrators of the attack was. Not one nationalist had their faces
masked and were picking up stones that were hitting them and throwing them back at the hundreds of MASKED
LOYALISTS.
And if this wasn't enough, the RUC/PSNI, who clearly admitted that Loyalists attacked the Short Strand, turned their guns on
nationalists protecting themselves and their homes.
A total of 9 plastic bullets were fired and 8 people were hit, all nationalists, and most of them in the upper body, contradicting
clearly the government restrictions on using plastic bullets.
This was the second instance when the RUC/PSNI fired indiscriminately at nationalists. On a previous date the RUC
and British Army fired 16 plastic bullets and hit 6 nationalists. Compare this with a riot between Loyalists and the RUC/PSNI when loyalists actually shot
at the police. The RUC/PSNI fired 60 plastic bullets and only one person was hit.
A question clearly arises asking why plastic bullets are more accurate and deadly when being fired at Nationalists? An answer
we will no doubt NEVER receive as the RUC/PSNI continue to treat both sides of the community differently.
On The Following pages you can see the results of these blatant attempts to murder and injure residents of Short Strand.
Currently there are international observers in the Short Strand following the events occurring night and day in the area. Because
of this the RUC had to declare a crime scene after a pipe bomb at the insistence of one of these such observers.
The people of this area need more people like these observers willing to come and see what is going on and hold the press and
RUC/PSNI accountable for their actions as they do not care about the residents of this community or what happens to them.
Click on the links below to see more
Diary of attacks from May 11th until Present
Pictures
Artwork
Contact Us At