SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2002: The early hours of Sunday morning was
witness to more trouble within loyalism when an attack believed to have
been carried o but by the Lower Shankill gang of Johnny Adair who burned
cars and a caravan as well as firing a number of shots into the house of
a loyalist, who was forced out of the lower Shankill Raid around a year
ago and moved to the loyalist Westland Road area in north Belfast. Two
cars were seen driving off at speed from the scene.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002: Monday passed off without any reports
of trouble.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2002: Around 7.30am occupation forces descended into nationalist Ardoyne and nor for the first time lifted a nationalist youth.
Also on Tuesday three young nationalists were taken from their homes, two aged 15 years old the other 16 years old.
Once again as with those before who were lifted it is believed that it is because of nationalist resistance to the pogroms carried out against their community, by sectarian loyalism and British occupation forces in recent months.
It has been pointed out in SAOIRSE before that these arrests have only been carried out against the nationalist community.
There is no surprise within the nationalist community that loyalists are not being treated in the same way. Nationalist youths who have been arrested and are charged, when bailed suffer very strict bail conditions as they are nor allowed within a mile of their own homes.
The injustice of this is clear; many of the youths have to stay with relations. Many of the youth find themselves living away across Belfast, miles from their own homes and family. The upset caused to the whole family, schoolwork etc. all become victims of this injustice. The question now is how many more will find themselves under such conditions,
Through the day Brit/RUC Occupation set up roadblocks around Belfast city centre. There was a number of bomb scares throughout the morning which turned out to be a hoax.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2002: Wednesday was witness to only
minor stone throwing from Glenbyrn into the Alliance Avenue. It is believed
that no damage was caused; the stoning lasted for only a short period of
time.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2002: An attempt was made by loyalists
believed to be attached to the Shankill ‘C’ Company to target a nationalist
man when a gunman walked into the Morning Star pub at Pottinger's Entry
in Belfast city centre. The gun jammed and the gunman fled. British army
bomb experts later carried out a controlled explosion on a car which was
suspected to be linked to the attempted shooting.
Crown Occupation Forces were heavy on the ground in North Belfast,
again foot patrols moved around the Old Park/Bone Cliftonville Road and
Westland areas.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2002: Friday for the most passed off without
any reports of trouble. There were some stones targeted at nationalist
homes in the Alliance Avenue. This has become normal for those living in
the houses that back off to the loyalist Glenbyrn area; again Occupation
Forces were heavy on the ground around north Belfast.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2002: “Writing on the wall.” It could be said that one of the oldest forms of resistance is the political slogan, ‘the writing on the wall’.
Here in Ireland and in many countries around the world where a people suffer oppression the writing on the wall has been used to beat censorship, or as a rallying cry.
Those walking in the streets of west Belfast this Saturday morning couldn't help but notice the writing on the wall that appeared overnight and as those passers-by couldn't fail to notice the political slogans. Likewise they couldn't fail to notice the two Provisionals at the Donegal Road just off the Falls Road as they used scrubbing brushes at 7.30am on this Saturday morning as they tried to remove some of the slogans in the ongoing street censorship policy of the Provisionals.
The slogans showed clearly that which those who sell the lie of Stormont, those Brit and pro-Brits would rather was not there in the nationalist/republican community.
If these political slogans cause dismay to all those pro-Unionist groups,
then its with good reason, all the writing on the wall is in support of
militant republicanism in the form of Continuity Irish Republican Army.
No wonder that the early bird Provisionals were on the streets with their
scrubbing brushes.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2002: It was reported today that a car bomb was found under the car of top UFF/UDA leader John Gregg. It's believed the Lower Shankill UDA/UFF faction targeted Gregg.
Also on Sunday British army and RUC roadblocks were set up in a number
of areas of north Belfast.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2002: Belfast city centre was again hit by a number of bomb scares on Monday morning that turned out to be hoaxes. As the scares were going on British army foot patrols moved round the streets.
It was reported today that a nationalist man from the nationalist Short
Strand was beaten unconscious by a gang of loyalists. The attack took place
near Bridge End Street; the man was later treated for his injuries in the
Dundonald hospital. The man was attacked in the early hours of Sunday.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2002: Tuesday was witness to yet more roadblocks set up around north Belfast. Foot patrols also moved round the Oldpark Road/Bone and Cliftonville areas.
There were also reports of a number of stones being thrown over the
so-called peace-line at Alliance Avenue. The stones that had been thrown
from Glenbryn hit a number of roofs in Alliance Avenue. This took place
around teatime.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2002: British/RUC occupation forces once again took to the streets of many areas of north Belfast including, as has been the case over recent weeks and months, foot patrols. Every now and then nationalist youths threw bottles at the foot patrols and retreated down side streets.
There has been a step up of RUC Land Rovers and armoured cars, and young
people are under constant verbal abuse from the passing British mobile
patrols, both sectarian and anti-Irish.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2002: Republican Sinn Féin in Belfast condemned what they called a clear attempt by the RUC/PSNI to silence the true Republican voice in Belfast. In a statement they said that there had been a number of raids and arrests in Belfast that morning in the Oldpark/Bone area, as well as in north Belfast and the Beechmount area of west Belfast.
The large force of RUC Land Rovers and unmarked cars to bring search
parties into the nationalist areas was to many a repeat of the 1970s and
1980s. Family members who went to the homes of relations being raided were
manhandled and suffered verbal abuse from the RUC/PSNI and sectarian remarks
about the UDA;
one RUC man took great delight in making sexual remarks against the
Catholic church.
A number of personal belongings, photographs of family members and children's parties as well as videos, mobile phones and children's computers were taken in all the raids.
All those who were arrested were taken to Lisburn, three, two of whom are Republican Sinn Féin members, were released around 10.30pm; the fourth man was still held at that stage.
Republican Sinn Féin in Belfast have been well aware that the Occupation Forces, with orders coming from a very high level, have stepped up their harassment and targeting of Republican Sinn Féin members and supporters. The statement condemned “these attempts to silence the true Republican voice” and said that they will work as they have always done on the streets.
“We aren't going away and we won't go away. Any and all attempts to silence Republican Sinn Féin will be resisted and our work within the nationalist community will continue.”
On Thursday night a number of houses in the loyalist Westland area were
attacked; it is believed by the Johnny Adair faction of the UDA/UFF. It
was claimed by the Westland faction of the loyalist death squad that a
number of cars went into the Westland from the lower Shankill.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2002: Friday saw more trouble within loyalism as a barber shop owned by the wife of Ian Truesdale, a close friend of Johnny Adair, was attacked and burned.
Around the same time a number of shots were fired through the window of the Truesdale house in the Braehill Crescent; the barber shop was burned out on upper Crumlin Road, Ligoniel Road, north Belfast.
It was reported that a 38-year-old man arrested on Thursday was charged. The man was said to be from the Ligoniel area of north Belfast.
A pipe bomb was left outside the Network Grill nightclub on lower North
Street in Belfast city centre.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2002: There were more reports of trouble in the loyalist Westland Road area; a van, owned it was believed by a friend of Johnny Adair, was attacked and damaged. There were also reports of a number of shots fired from a speeding car. Two loyalists claimed they were the target of a UDA faction from the lower Shankill.
Stone-throwing took place from the loyalist Glenbryn into the nationalist
Alliance Avenue area throughout the day.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2002: Tensions continued within loyalism as infighting was stepped up.
British Occupation Forces foot patrols were seen on the streets and
checkpoints were set.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2002: The infighting within the UDA/UFF continued with a number of shots being fired at a car in the loyalist Glenbryn area from a VW Passat which was later found abandoned over a mile away in the loyalist Westland. Ammunition was also found.
Reports also claimed that a Christmas tree put up in the lower Shankill
was paid for by Belfast City Council. The tree stands in the notorious
Johnny Adair's C Company UFF area. In Christmas lights around the tree
is spelt out support for that murder gang. The total cost was €10,000,
paid for by Belfast City Council.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2002: Concern was high within the nationalist areas of north Belfast after the Westland area faction of the UDA/UFF set up a checkpoint on the Westland Road, close to nationalist homes. The UDA/UFF were able to carry out the checkpoint for some time.
Not only is the Westland Road facing on to nationalist areas on either end but it is also a route used by nationalists to get from the Cliftonville Road end of the Westland Road to the Cavehill Road; there is no need to spell out the dangers to nationalists if they happen to drive into one of these loyalist checkpoints.
It should also be pointed out that these areas are heavily patrolled by British army/RUC Occupation Forces and if the tables were turned and these checkpoints were set up in nationalist areas then the reaction to them would be very different.
The fighting within loyalism has led to a number of loyalist families being forced out of one area into another. In the Westland area this has also been the case. Slogans on the wall now proclaim Johnny Adair as an MI5 agent. In other loyalist areas like Tiger's Bay, zigzag barricades have gone up.
Nationalists have braced themselves for the backlash that was sure to come. Reports of a number of shootings in the loyalist areas through the day came in.
In the nationalist Alliance Avenue a pipe bomb which had been thrown
from the Glenbryn area was found around 9.30pm. The Alliance Avenue was
closed for a time as the RUC/PSNI bomb disposal moved in. They claimed
later that the bomb was a hoax, a claim questioned by nationalists living
in the area.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2002: Six pipe bombs were reported to have been found in a bag in the loyalist Glenbryn area. The report was played down but the fact that these bombs were found close to the so-called peace line at Alliance Avenue caused concern in that nationalist community and also pointed to loyalist preparations for attacks on the nationalist community of north Belfast. It also proved that nationalists were correct to question claims by the RUC/PSNI that a bomb found the night before was a hoax.
Once again Occupation Forces were heavy on the ground in north Belfast;
checkpoints were set up in a number of areas.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2002: In the early hours fears within the nationalist community were realised when loyalists bombed a nationalist home in Glenpark Court off the Oldpark Road around 2am.
A couple and two children were asleep in the house when the front door was blown apart as the bomb went off in the letterbox. Damage was caused to the hall and ceiling. Terri Fegan said she thought the house had also been on fire because of the smoke that faced her on the stairs as she ran to see if her twin boys were okay.
She said they all locked themselves into the children's room where they would have been able to escape from. She added that it was only shouts from neighbours telling them it was safe to come out that led them to come down the stairs after the bomb. Seeing the damage, it hit her how lucky they all were. She placed the blame on loyalist death squad members.
Later in the morning, two loyalist gunmen were lifted after their motorbike
was stopped in the Ballysillan Road, close to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic
Girls' School.
Two guns were uncovered. The RUC/PSNI claimed they were on the way
to kill another loyalist but there were also claims that the target was
to be an Ardoyne Republican, who has not been named.
Around 10am the RUC/PSNI moved into the Woodvale, Crumlin Road area, at the roundabout near the Ardoyne shops, to give cover to those working on the spy camera there. There was also the placing of other spy cameras around nationalist Ardoyne. Those old enough to remember the British spy posts will also know that where all those posts once stood, now stand or about to stand, are these spy cameras, one is now under installation at the Berwick Road, the other at the top of Enta Drive.
A taxi-driver escaped injury when shots were fired at his car as he was on his way to pick up a fare at the junction of Egmont Gardens and Utility Road in the Sandy Row area.
Loyalist gunman threatened two nationalist sisters as they left Avoniel Leisure
There were also reports of shots being fired into the home of a leading
loyalist in the Newtownabbey area, believed to be part of the loyalist
infighting. Shots were also fired in Ballysillan.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2002: There were reports of a bomb being
found near the home of a leading UDA man in Whiteabbey.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2002: In the early hours a number of shots
were fired at a group of people near the Oldpark Road/Westland Road. It
was unclear who did the shooting or who the targets were.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2002: David Cupples (25), a Protestant man
from the predominantly loyalist Cliftonpark Avenue area of north Belfast
was beaten to death by a loyalist death squad as he walked to work as a
kitchen porter at Girdwood British army barracks. It was thought that the
gunmen thought he was a nationalist.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2002: Jonathan Stewart (22) was shot dead
by a loyalist gunman as he stood with another man in the kitchen of a house
in Manor Street, north Belfast. The killing is believed to be linked to
the feud between Johnny Adair's Lower Shankill C Company faction and his
former comrades in the UDA, who expelled him from the loyalist organisation
in September. The dead man is the nephew of a well-known loyalist in the
north Belfast area. Later that night a man and his fiancée were
injured in what is believed to be a retaliatory attack when a gunman fired
at the front door of another house in north Belfast.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2002: A pipe bomb was defused after it was
found at the gates of Ballysillan Park in north Belfast.
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