SAOIRSE32

Belfast Media
South Belfast News
By Scott Jamison

A Donegall Pass family, who lost their son to suicide before Christmas, have spoken out against a campaign of intimidation being waged against them by loyalist paramilitaries.

The family of teenager Christopher Campbell, who killed himself in December just a month after his best friend took his own life, have received two loyalist threats in the past week by a group using a recognised codeword.

Pamela Campbell and her two daughters Pamela and Grace, told the South Belfast News they were “shocked and disgusted” by the threats, which they say follows a litany of attacks since 18-year-old Christopher died.

However the three women have vowed they will not be forced from their home and have posted the threat warnings in the window of their Donegall Road house.

“We have been trying to move on since Chris’ death, but this is bringing it all back and not allowing us to grieve,” said his sister Pamela.

“Northern Ireland is supposed to have moved on, yet this sort of thing is still happening, and to three innocent women at that.”

On placing the death threat notifications in the window Pamela said: “We don’t know if we have done the right thing or not, because it may make people target the house even more. But we wanted to highlight the fact there is a paramilitary element operating in the area and they are targeting innocent women, especially ones who have been through such a traumatic experience.”

Christopher committed suicide in December following the death of his friend Dean Clarke from Tiger’s Bay. Since his death, Pamela said they have been terrorised constantly and have had to install CCTV, floodlights and a number of locks on the windows and doors of the house.

“Our scooters were vandalised, as was my sister’s car. Then when we checked our CCTV one day, it had recorded a man at a bedroom window at 4.15am.

“That is really frightening, considering he would have had to climb over two locked gates in order to get there.

“There have also been smaller things like glass being left under the car tyres and coal being stolen from the bunker. It just doesn’t stop.”

Pamela said that the fact they don’t know the reasons behind the attacks or the threats makes the situation even scarier.

“We all work and are not involved in anything. We have never been in trouble with the police and no-one has ever given us warnings to stop doing anything, so this has all come from nowhere.”

The family say they were informed of the first threat on Sunday evening, which said their property was a target. The second threat arrived the following evening.

“It was addressed to my sister and said the house would be burnt out but as we all live here, anyone attacking the house would get us all.

“The police said it was a recognised codeword from a local loyalist paramilitary group, so we know it is not just someone messing around.”

A police spokesperson said they could not discuss individual security issues.

“But if we receive information that someone needs to review their security we act accordingly. We would never ignore anything that may put individuals at risk.”

BBC

Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams has said Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised £6m to the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.

Mr Adams said the funding followed ‘intense negotiations’

He said the move followed “intense negotiations” with the government.

“The former culture minister’s failure to plan for the future development of the fund meant that it was at risk of ending next March,” Mr Adams said.

The DUP’s Nelson McCausland said the money was given to make up for the fact Sinn Féin had failed to secure an Irish Language Act.

“This is a fig leaf for Gerry Adams,” he said.

“He is a man who is very embarrassed because he has not been able to deliver his Irish Language Act.

“The DUP has vetoed that. It will not come to pass and, by way of a fig leaf, he has managed to produce some money for the continuation of the Irish Language film fund.

However, Mr Adams said he was seeking a meeting with Culture Minister Gregory Campbell to demand the DUP honour the St Andrew’s Agreement, which includes an Irish Language Act.

“Of course, this is only one aspect of the efforts to ensure that the rights and entitlements of Irish language speakers are respected,” he added.

‘Welcome’

Mr Campbell said he welcomed the announcement of a further £6m for the film fund.

“I look forward to being able to ensure that both the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots achieve comparable treatment of funding in the future,” he said.

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure agreed to provide £12m of funding to the Irish Language Broadcast Fund over five years until March 2009.

This was with the target of 75 additional hours Irish language broadcasting per year by 2008.

The aim of the fund, which is administered by the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, is to foster and develop an independent Irish language television production sector in Northern Ireland.

Irish Republican Socialist Bulletin

Extract from: Irish Republican Socialist Bulletin (Number 3)
13 June 2008

More Sectarian Attacks

Lime Court is Sheltered Dwelling for old people, situated at the bottom of the loyalist Peter’s Hill/Shankill and sandwiched between there and the Catholic/Republican Carrickhill. The dwellings are totally occupied by senior citizens from both communities who are mostly aged between 70-80
years old.

At the weekend the grounds were invaded by a number of men who set about smashing windows of 4 dwellings with hammers and cudgels. The elderly residents were terrified and rightly so.

The PSNI have not highlighted this attack on the elderly but have agreed that it was sectarian. This comes after recent attacks on elderly peoples homes in the nearby Stanhope Street which were also sectarian. Some of those residents have asked to be moved away from the interface because they are frightened, and now it is being suggested in some circles that there is going to be a long hot summer campaign to force the catholic/Republican
families out.

Next year 2nd August 2009 is the 40th anniversary of one of the worse days of the early troubles, when thousands of loyalists tried to storm the then Unity Flats. Not everyone is aware that on that day an elderly man Patrick Corry was beaten and stabbed by both loyalists and RUC men. When he was eventually conveyed to hospital, he was to remain there until he died 4 months later from his injuries This is still fresh in many of our minds and we will never forget how many battles were fought to keep this small enclave at the bottom of the Shankill Catholic/Republican . The first time that it was muted to bring the British Army on to the streets was during the 2nd-3rd of August 1969 and it was because of the pressure the RUC were under. But that’s another story. During one of the many attempts to burn flats in Unity in 1969 the attackers were met with a hail of gunfire. Unity Flats never fell into loyalist hands and neither will Carrickhill.

**Received via email from 7 Stars
Seven_Stars_Republican_Socialist_News@yahoogroups.com
Published 13/06/08

éirígí shut down US embassy

As part of the opposition to Monday’s visit of US war criminal George W Bush to occupied Ireland, éirígí activists today (Friday) shut down the US Consulate in Belfast.

With chains, locks and an explanatory banner, republican activists arrived at the US administrative outpost this morning and promptly closed it to business.

As Consulate staff looked on, the activists chained and locked the entrance to the building, while a member of the Consulate’s security staff locked the pedestrian entrance before éirígí’s own lock and chain was
applied.

The activists then unfurled their banner over the entrance, which stated: “Closed To Stop War Crimes”.

éirígí chairperson Brian Leeson explained the reasons for today’s action.

“George W Bush and his administration are reviled around the world for committing countless war crimes and visiting death, destruction and untold misery upon millions of human beings.

“Their outposts in Ireland are a visible extension of these evil policies and should be treated as such. Starting with the massive demonstrations against the war on Iraq in 2003, the people of Ireland have shown that they are appalled by the crimes of the Bush regime and its allies.

Locked up

“Today’s action was the latest manifestation of this disgust.”

Brian continued: “We are confident that Monday will see another rejection by Ireland of these crimes when the world’s worst war criminal lands in Belfast.

“éirígí would rather stand beside the people’s of Afghanistan and Iraq, who continue to bear the brutal brunt of the US-led occupation.

“We would rather stand beside the people of Palestine, who are dying daily at the hands of US-supplied bombs and weaponry.

“We would rather stand beside the people of Cuba, who suffer under the illegal and inhumane economic blockade which the US Empire imposes upon them.

“We would rather stand beside the tortured prisoners of Guantanamo Bay, the USA’s most notorious concentration camp.

“We would rather stand beside any of the victims of US imperialism than be associated with George W Bush and his criminal regime when he comes here to speak hypocritically about peace.”

Brian concluded: “The activists who carried out today’s action are to be applauded and I hope that Monday lunchtime in Belfast city Centre will see a large rejection of George W Bush and those who invited him here in our name.”