TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2003: Tuesday saw a bomb scare close off Clifton Park Avenue for a number of hours. The scare started around 3pm in the afternoon and turned out to be a hoax.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2003: Wednesday was witness to the Brit/RUC occupation forces once again heavy on the ground in a number of areas in north Belfast. As has been and is the case Brit army foot patrols backed up by armoured mobile patrols moved around parts of the Bone/Old Park Road, Cliftonville Road, Antrim Road and Cave Hill area. Throughout the day road checks were set up.
There was also some stoning near the interface at Alliance Avenue with nationalist homes once again the target; the stoning would be viewed as minor.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2003: There were no reports of trouble today, but once again Occupation Forces were enforce in a number of areas in Belfast.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2003: Once again there was a number of Occupation Forces road checks set up around north Belfast. There were also reports of a petrol bomb attack on a house on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast. At this stage it is not known if the attack is down to sectarianism or something else.
It has also become clear that a nationalist man had a lucky escape in the early hours of last Saturday. A gang of loyalists tried to drag the man into a car at the top of Duncairn Gardens. The four-strong gang also used a hammer in the attack. The nationalist man in his twenties managed to escape running down Atlantic Avenue, but was chased by the gang who were in a blue Escort. The young man managed to escape but was said to be in shock and was later treated in hospital for injuries to his head.
Once again it has been shown that loyalist gangs can drive around at will, it should be remembered these areas of north Belfast are under constant watch from the Brit Occupation Forces as already stated.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2003: A number of bricks and stones were thrown over the so-called peace line at Alliance Ave from the Glenbryn area.
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2003: Stones were thrown at nationalist homes on the Crumlin Road from part of the grounds of Holy Cross Chapel at Ardoyne. There were no reports of injuries or damage. On Thursday last a number of windows were broken in the Crumlin Road area. Nationalist homes were again the target. Loyalist youths, some only children, often use the grounds of Holy Cross Chapel to throw missiles towards nationalist houses on the Crumlin Rd, cars going up and down the road are also targeted by the stone throwers.
MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2003: Pro-war demonstrators attacked a number of business premises and individuals during a pro-Bush and pro-war rally in Belfast city centre last night. Two nationalist pubs and a taxi company were targeted and passers-by were assaulted by a group who had marched from the loyalist Shankill area through the largely nationalist Castle St and King St area of the city. Passing vehicles were also attacked.
The 300-strong pro-Bush and pro-war rally had been organised by a senior member of the unionist party, Sir John Gorman, a former British soldier. Ian Paisley, leader of the DUP, was pictured at the rally standing alongside a woman carrying a placard which bore the slogan, "Baghdad, Basra, Crossmaglen?" The apparent implication of the placard was to urge the British Army to "deal" with Republican areas of the north [Crossmaglen] in a similar way to Basra.
The British Army require no such prompting since it has murdered innocent civilians here in Ireland for years and there is ample evidence that it is doing the same in Iraq. Meanwhile a small group of loyalists, including members of the UDA, waved British flags and chanted anti-nationalist and pro-war slogans on the fringes of the large anti-war protest at Hillsborough Castle organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Anti-War Movement.
There are also reports of UDA members and individuals associated with Combat 18 'trawling' Belfast in cars looking for anti-war protesters who could be attacked. Combat 18 is an extreme right-wing British fascist organisation with links to loyalist paramilitaries. The numbers 1 and 8 refer to the position in the alphabet of the initials AH or Adolf Hitler. Extreme loyalist websites urged attacks on anti-war protesters.
Monday was witness to a number of bomb scares in many parts of Belfast. Bomb scares have been on-going in many parts of Belfast for a number of weeks.
Following a demonstration at Belfast City Hall by a group of mainly peaceful demonstrators in favour of the war in Iraq, a group of loyalists from the Shankill Road area marched through the nationalist King Street and Castle Street and threw stones at passers-by and at two pubs and a taxi office.
TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2003: At approximately 1.45pm British colonial police in riot gear arrested a number of demonstrators who had sat down on one lane of the road- way outside Belfast city hall during a trade union rally against the presence of US President George W Bush in Ireland. Protesters complained about the behaviour of some of the riot police. In particular several witnesses said that one RUC/PSNI member dragged a young woman off the roadway by the hair. The number of the officer was 6277, according to a number of sources.
Tuesday was witness to the unwelcome visit of Blair and Bush. It was also witness to the RUC in riot gear once more attacking Anti-War protesters at Belfast City Hall where a number of the protesters were also arrested.
Clifford McKeown, 44, from Craigavon, was jailed today for a mini- mum of 24 years for the murder of father-of- two nationalist taxi-driver Michael McGoldrick at the height of the Drumcree stand-off over an Orange Order parade in July 1996. A report issued by researchers working for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission said that new baton rounds intro- duced by the British into the Six Counties two years ago for .crowd control. are potentially more deadly than those they replaced.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2003: There was no report of trouble throughout Wednesday.
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2003: More reports of stone throwing at nationalist houses houses near the Crumlin Road. As has been the case in the past loyalist used the cover of the grounds of Holy Cross Chapel, Ardoyne to target nationalist homes. There was also stone throwing at the so-called peace line at Alliance Ave. There was no report of damage or injuries.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2003: Belfast was hit by a number of bomb scares throughout the day. The city airport was also hit for a time, all the scares turned out to be hoaxes. Occupation forces were heavy on the ground in many parts of Belfast throughout the day.
SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2003: Some stone throwing near the so-called peace line at Alliance Ave.
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2003: There were no reports of trouble on Sunday.
A bomb was defused by British army experts in the grounds of an Ancient Order of Hibernians club at Roghery Road in Toomebridge, Co Antrim.
MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2003: Monday saw a number of bomb scares in Belfast but not on the level of recent weeks. More stone throwing at nationalist homes at Alliance Ave, again stones were thrown over the so-called peace line. Stone throwing also occurred near the Crumlin Road with loyalist youths again using the grounds of Holy Cross Chapel.
TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2003: Belfast City Council pro- posal causes disgust within the nationalist community. An air of disgust hung over nationalist areas of Belfast after it came to light that Nelson McCausland, a DUP Councillor in Belfast City Hall, had proposed the house of notorious loyalist bigot and murderer John W Nixon RUC District Inspector be listed in memory of the remarkable Nixon who McCausland stated had an outstanding political career. But McCausland side-stepped questions as Nixon's career as the head of an RUC sectarian murder gang in the 1920s by claiming Nixon silenced those who made such allegations because there was no evidence to link him to the murders.
No surprise to nationalists that even today loyalists make such statements always covering up the fact that any evidence of those murders would be in the hands of the very gang of RUC men who carried them out.
The most infamous murders of Nixon and his gang was that of the McMahon family at their home in Kinnaird Terrace in north Belfast on March 24, 1922. On that Friday morning the McMahon home was visited by the hate-filled RUC gang. What happened in the McMahon home that March morning has haunted generation after generation to this very day. When the RUC gang left No 3 Kinaird Tce four people were dead, three of the McMahon sons and Mr Owen McMahon's bar manager who stayed at the family home. Owen McMahon himself died later of his wounds in the Mater Hospital as did another son Bernard. There is no doubt that Nixon and his gang carried out many such murders at the time.
Little wonder that nationalist are disgusted that anyone would try to glorify Nixon who was indeed a true blue loyalist sectarian bigot and murderer.
Also on Tuesday it was reported that loyalists youths in the Waterworks (a north Belfast Park) were throwing doctored fireworks at people walking in that area. It is believed the targets were anyone walking near there as the area would be termed the nationalist part of the Waterworks. Some of the fireworks that were used had nails taped round them. There were no reports of injuries.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2003: There were reports on Wednesday night that part of the Shore Road and Fortwilliam area of north Belfast were closed because of a bomb scare. The scare was still ongoing at 12.30am.
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2003: It was reported on Thursday morning that a bomb was found in the Shore Road area of north Belfast. There was also a bomb scare at St Joseph's Primary School, a Catholic school on the Newtownards Road.
The report from the Stevens 3 Inquiry on Collusion found that there was widespread collusion between British Crown Forces and loyalist death squads and that the Steven investigation was obstruct- ed by both British Intelligence and the RUC Special Branch. Only 20 pages of the report was made public.
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2003: There was fighting between nationalist and loyalist youths at the Limestone Road, north Belfast. Over 200 people faced each other and fireworks, bricks, bottles and other missiles were used. Nationalists said the trouble started after loyalists had attacked their area. Loyalists made counter claims.
Throughout the day in north Belfast the occupation forces were heavy on the ground. Foot patrols once again took to the streets as armoured cars and RUC land rovers moved around the area takin in Oldpark Road, Cliftonville Road, Alliance Ave, Deer Park and part of the Antrim Road.
Friday also gave witness to the trouble the night before and one witness told of how one nationalist family had a luck escape after their home on the Limestone Road was attacked by loyalist pipe bombers.
SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2003: There were no reports of trouble on Saturday but occupation forces were again heavy on the ground. Nationalist youths were to face Brit harassment as Brit armoured cars sized up nationalist youths, picking fights knowing full well if any of the youths do get into a fight with them they would be arrested. The Brits also used dirty talk from their foul mouths to heat up the situation.
SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2003: Easter Sunday passed off without reports of trouble but as is ongoing Brit/RUC occupation forces were heavy on the ground.
Up to 17 people, including 10 children, were made homeless following an arson attack on their homes in Galliagh Park, Derry city.
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2003: Nationalists in Ardoyne staged a protest against an orange parade that was forced through the nationalist part of the Crumlin Road at the Ardoyne shops. The nationalists were met by hundreds of riot clad RUC and armoured landrovers. The Orange parade forced through Ardoynewas one of two that took place in Belfast. The other took place on the Ormeau Road but did not cross the bridge. Apart from shouting there was no trouble.
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2003: A number of houses that were vacant in the loyalist Glenbryn area close to the so- called peace line with the nationalist Alliance Ave, were set on fire. The houses are believed to have been set on fire in an act of vandalism.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2003: There was a heavy force of Brits and RUC occupation forces on the ground in Belfast with north Belfast suffering the most from their unwelcome prescience.
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2003: Nationalist houses were again targeted in the interface of Alliance Ave as loyalists in the Glenbryn area threw missiles over the so-called peace line. There were no reports of injury or damage.
There were also reports that loyalists forced three nationalist families out of their homes in Delhi Street. The families moved out under threats from the UDA/UFF. Their homes were attacked after the families left and their furniture was taken to a nearby loyalist bonfire.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2003: Once again Brit/RUC occupation forces were heavy on the ground. As has often been the case, British Fusiliers gave cover to the RUC foot patrols; armoured cars and landrovers also patrolled as back up to the occupation forces.
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2003: Saturday night was again witness to the nationalist community suffering loyalist attacks and again it was the nationalist Limestone Road area that was targeted by loyalists from the Tigers Bay area. The loyalist attack was heavy for a time and loyalist gunmen using shotguns were in action, at one stage even turning their guns on those forces of the Crown they claim as their own, shooting and wounding two RUC men.
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2003: At around 2am on Sunday morning a confrontation between the RUC and a number of nationalist youths in the Old Park Road area of north Belfast saw the RUC draw batons and run after a number of youths in the Park View Court. The RUC foot patrols were backed up by at least one land rover that sat in Mayfair Court. The youths managed to escape the RUC and no doubt a beating. There was a report of minor stone throwing in the Limestone Road area on Sunday afternoon.
MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2003: Monday was again witness to occupation forces heavy on the ground in north Belfast throughout the day. Road checks were also set up for a time around 9pm. British Fusiliers manned a check-point on the Old Park Road at the Sacred Heart Chapel.
TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2003: There was a report of a shoot- ing in the Ballinderry area of Lisburn, Co Antrim. All that is known at this stage is that one man is dead and another wounded after the RUC opened fire on a car.
The RUC/PSNI shot dead one man and injured another when a car .failed to stop. at a checkpoint on the Crumlin Road, Ballinderry Upper, Co Antrim.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2003: It was reported
that a number of Catholic school children were set upon by a group of loyalists. The
attack that took place at a bus stop on the Crumlin Road was carried out against young
boys from St. Malachy's College, who were beaten up by loyalist youths who got off a
bus in what is a clear sectarian attack. Attacks of boys coming out of St Malachy's
College are ongoing.
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