UTV LIVE MONDAY 17/09/01 17:14:52
Protestant school children attacked
Protestant school children and their parents were attacked with
stones, bolts and golf balls as they left a primary school in north
Belfast this afternoon.
The P1 to P3 pupils were being picked up from Currie Primary on the
Limestone Road when the incident occurred. No-one was injured.
The children were about to go home from school around a 1.45 pm when
parents say a group of around 20 youths from the Upper Limestone Road
ran down and began throwing golf balls bolts and stones.
Paul Beattie, a parent at the school said: "This has been ongoing now
from the start of term up until now its just been abuse shouted in the
mornings at lunch and school leaving but this has been the first
serious incident where stones nuts and bolts thrown at the children.
"The children couldn`t get out of the school until 2.05pm when Miss
Thompson was assured that the area was safe for them to come out but
the parents had to go in and bring them out and if their parents
weren`t here the teachers had to go in and walk them down the street."
Local MP Nigel Dodds, of the DUP said: "I think it`s very sinister
indeed and to be deplored when you`re getting things like these bolts
fired I think its scandalous.
"I would call on community leaders who have any influence over the
Nationalists who are doing this to get them to stop because the human
rights of these children and parents are equally deserving to be
protected as other children we have seen highlighted."
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19th March - UTV
Approximately 70 Protestant children were locked in school for their
own safety after a republican mob attacked teachers, parents and
pupils at the Currie Primary School in north Belfast. The school is
located in an area which has seen an upsurge in anti-Protestant
rioting of late. Local councillor Nelson McCausland claimed the
trouble was sparked yesterday, when what he described as "republican
stormtroopers" verbally abused staff and children going to the school.
It is believed the recent upsurge in republican violence could be
related to the on-going US investigation of IRA/SF links with
Colombian narco-terrorists FARC. With media attention centred on the
trio of Sinn Fein/IRA terrorists charged with training FARC
guerrillas, Sinn Fein is keen to alleviate some of the pressure.
Source (UTV) 19-03a.doc (BBC) 19-03b.doc (EW)
------------------------
Protestant schoolchildren and their parents came under attack from
paint bombs and bricks on Monday when trouble flared outside their
school.
Parents and pupils from Currie Primary School on the Limestone Road,
north Belfast, were attacked with bottles, bricks and paint bombs.
Parents said the children are regular targets for sectarian abuse from
residents from the Newington and Parkside areas.
Nicola Wallace, who has children in Primary 3 and 7, said she fears
for her children's safety.
"It's getting out of hand. Every day there is an incident and the
children are frightened. Pupils who were supposed to go swimming
couldn't as they couldn't leave the building.
"At lunch time, there was a group of youths with their faces covered
standing with baseball bats.
"Also, there is often a group of men who stand outside the shops and
shout sectarian abuse as we take the children to and from school."
Community worker Eddie McClean said the problems at Currie Primary
School started "long before" the well-publicised incidents at Holy
Cross primary school in nearby Ardoyne.
"These children are traumatised. They are being attacked on a regular
basis," he said.
The DUP's Ian Crozier and Nigel Dodds blamed republican factions for
the attacks.
Mr Dodds said: "It is clear from the events that republicans are not
interested in ending the cycle of violence in north Belfast.
"In fact, they are attempting to plunge the area back into the
position it was in a few months ago, by igniting a Holy Cross-style
dispute around Currie Primary School.
"On a daily basis, children and parents at Currie primary are faced
with a gauntlet of violence and intimidation from republicans, who on
numerous occasions have actually attacked people going to and from the
school."
Mr Crozier, who also serves as a governor at the school, said police
would have to take a tougher line.
* On Monday night, Mr Dodds and the headmistress of Currie Primary
School called for immediate extra security in the area.
------------------------
UTV
TUESDAY 19/03/02 18:09:52
Clashes outside Belfast school
Rival factions have clashed outside a primary school at a north
Belfast flashpoint, police have said.
The trouble began when a nationalist mob gathered other outside
Currie Primary School on the Limestone Road, which was the scene of
riots last night.
Democratic Unionist Nelson McCausland claimed the trouble was sparked
yesterday, when what he described as "republican stormtroopers"
verbally abused staff and children going to the school.
------------------------
BBC
Wednesday, 20 March, 2002, 07:50 GMT
Officer injured in street clashes
Police and military personnel have come under attack from rival
factions during disturbances in north Belfast.
Trouble broke out on the Limestone Road shortly after 2100 GMT on
Tuesday when police attempted to separate rival nationalist and
loyalist groups.
Officers were then attacked by both sides throwing bottles bricks and
fireworks.
At least one police officer suffered minor injuries.
A number of petrol and paint bombs were also thrown at police.
Earlier on Tuesday, 70 children were prevented from leaving Currie
Primary School for a time when opposing factions confronted each
other.
A police spokesman said the incident, which involved stone throwing,
led to a minor stand-off.
------
25th March 2002 - Newsletter & BBC
"Protestant schoolchildren and their parents came under attack from
paint bombs and bricks on Monday when trouble flared outside their
school. Parents and pupils from Currie Primary School on the Limestone
Road, north Belfast, were attacked with bottles, bricks and paint
bombs. Parents said the children are regular targets for sectarian
abuse from residents from the Newington and Parkside areas.
Nicola Wallace, who has children in Primary 3 and 7 (Aged 7 and 11),
said she fears for her children's safety. "It's getting out of hand.
Every day there is an incident and the children are frightened. Pupils
who were supposed to go swimming couldn't as they couldn't leave the
building. "At lunch time, there was a group of youths with their faces
covered standing with baseball bats. Also, there is often a group of
men who stand outside the shops and shout sectarian abuse as we take
the children to and from school."
Community worker Eddie McClean said the problems at Currie Primary
School started "long before" the well-publicised incidents at Holy
Cross primary school in nearby Ardoyne. "These children are
traumatised. They are being attacked on a regular basis," he said. The
DUP's Ian Crozier and Nigel Dodds blamed republican factions for the
attacks. Mr Dodds said: "It is clear from the events that republicans
are not interested in ending the cycle of violence in north Belfast.
In fact, they are attempting to plunge the area back into the position
it was in a few months ago, by igniting a Holy Cross-style dispute
around Currie Primary School. On a daily basis, children and parents
at Currie primary are faced with a gauntlet of violence and
intimidation from republicans, who on numerous occasions have actually
attacked people going to and from the school."
Mr Crozier, who also serves as a governor at the school, said police
would have to take a tougher line.
On Monday night, Mr Dodds and the headmistress of Currie Primary
School called for immediate extra security in the area."
Source (BNL) 25-02a.doc (BBC) 25-02b.doc (EW) (CW)
------------------------
BBC Tuesday, 26 March, 2002, 14:20 GMT
Minister in school security talks
The talks centred on Currie Primary School
Staff at a north Belfast primary school which has been attacked by
nationalists have told the security minister of their concerns.
Jane Kennedy went to the mainly Protestant Currie Primary School on
Tuesday to meet staff and some of the school's governors.
The minister heard concerns about recent disturbances in the area and
how pupil numbers are falling, as families move away.
The meeting followed calls by North Belfast Democratic Unionist MP
Nigel Dodds for increased security at the school which currently has 135 pupils.
However, the minister said she did not believe this alone would solve
the area's problems.
Speaking after the meeting, she said: "The physical security, in the
end, will not resolve the underlying community problems that we see
exhibited when we see the religious violence and hatred and bigotry
being portrayed between two communities."
She said both sides would "have to learn to live together if we're
going to have a future together".
She said she had been impressed "by the caring professionalism" shown
by staff.
"I would encourage all of those in the community who are engaged in
trying to bring to an end the all too frequent violence that we have
seen on the Limestone Road, to redouble those efforts," she said.
The school principal, Mrs Anne Thompson, said the minister's visit had
helped to boost morale at what she called "this very difficult time".
In recent days, the school has come under attack during clashes
between loyalist and nationalist residents in the area.
On Monday, parents collecting their children from the school said they
were attacked from nationalists.
There was sustained rioting in the area at the weekend.
School principal Barbara Thompson and Mr Dodds met senior police
officers at Antrim Road police station in Belfast on Monday evening to
discuss their concerns.
------------------------
16th April 2002 - BBC
There have been serious disturbances in the Limestone Road area of
north Belfast after nationalists attacked a Protestant woman on her
way to collect her young child from Currie Primary School. The school,
attended by Protestant schoolchildren has been the focal point of
anti-Protestant aggression for several years.
Source (BBC) 16-03a.doc
------------------------
www.NewsLetter.co.uk
Wednesday, May 8, 2002
10-year-old scarred for life after attack
A 10-year-old Tiger's Bay boy who was stoned by a nationalist youth at
the weekend will be scarred for life.
Stevie Sloan was crossing the Limestone Road with his older brother -
after visiting his granny - when he was injured.
The youngster, a pupil at Currie Primary School, was only discharged
from the Royal Hospital yesterday after undergoing an operation where
he received 13 stitches.
He said: ''My eye is sore most of the time, but it gets worse at
night. I am blind in my left eye anyway, the one that was hit, because
of an accident that happened four years ago.
''I had been visiting my granny in Mountcollier and was walking home
with my big brother Darren at 9.30pm.
''I had no idea there was going to be rioting. I never saw the stone
coming.''
The child's mother, Celia Sloan, said every time she looks at her
son's face she feels sick because she knows if he had been a few
seconds earlier he might have been hit with a blast bomb.
Mrs Sloan, who is nearly five months pregnant, said: ''I thought I was
going to go into labour on Sunday night because of the shock of seeing
Stevie like that.
''There was blood dripping from his eye everywhere. My wee son is not
a rioter, he was just an innocent passer-by.
''All the parents in the area are frightened because they know what
could happen.
"I always get my children in off the street at 9pm, but it might be
sooner from now on as trouble seems to start around teatime. I don't
think it has ever been as bad as this.
''I was never a bigot in my life - but after what has happened to my
son I feel very bitter. I think anybody would.''
Last night Tiger's Bay Community worker Eddie McClean appealed for
parents to make their children aware of the dangers in the area.
He said: ''All the children in the area are frightened because of the
rioting. It is not safe for them to play in their own areas.
''But what really angers loyalists is the fact that nationalists will
not accept responsibility for their actions.
''No matter that happens they blame it on the UDA. I think some
nationalists need to go back to school and learn a few more letters of
the alphabet.
''People around here are traumatised with what is happening on a
nightly basis. I have had more than 100 families rehoused in the area,
further back away from the interface, because they do not want to
leave the area.''
Mr McClean added that while the installation of proposed CCTV cameras
at interfaces may not stop violence, it could pinpoint the
perpetrators and instigators of the violence.
Sunday night saw some of the worst rioting in north Belfast, where two
young men were shot by a republican gunman.
Another young man who rushed to help one of the men who had been shot
had his arm broken.
