FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2002: Republican Sinn Féin staged a well-attended protest picket at Maghaberry prison in support of political status and to highlight the plight of Republican POWs in the jail.
A bomb was placed on a door at Cranbrook Court in Ardoyne. The bomb was found by the 12-year-old daughter of the owner of the house. The RUC/PSNI claimed later that the bomb was a hoax, although the Red Hand Defenders, a cover-name for the UDA/UFF, claimed on Friday afternoon using a known codeword, that they carried out the attack and also claimed the group had reformed. This no doubt calls into question the RUC/PSNI’s claims that the bomb was a hoax.
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2002: Trouble once more broke out on the Limestone Road and Newington Street as nationalists confronted loyalists who were attacking their area. The trouble went on for some time as British army and RUC/PSNI occupation forced flooded the area.
An explosive device, hidden in a police traffic cone, exploded when two 16-year-olds moved it to allow a car go through at the Farmacaffley point to point horse race in south Armagh. The teenagers were treated in hospital for minor shrapnel injuries as well as burn marks.
SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2002: Large numbers of British Occupation Forces and armoured cars and Land Rovers patrolled the Old Park Road, nationalist Bone area to Ardoyne Avenue and and around Ardoyne. At one stage lines of Brits waled along Old Park Road alongside armoured cars.
Around 3pm some stone-throwing took place at Alliance Avenue. The targets for loyalists are nationalist homes that back on to the loyalist Alliance Road.
The attack went on for a few minutes and no damage was caused this time. This followed constant attacks on the nationalist areas and streets at Parkend Street and Newington Street off the Limestone Road.
The Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Newcastle, Co Down was targeted for the second time this year in a sectarian attack when axes were used to smash 20 small panels of coloured glass at the rear doors and eight windows of reinforced glass in the sacristy and toilets.
MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2002: Anthony Rice, 19-year-old nationalist from the New Lodge area of north Belfast, was confronted by four loyalists and set upon. They stabbed him in the back, collapsing a lung for which he had to undergo an operation but was said to be stable in hospital. The loyalists ran off into the nationalist Canning Street and Tiger's Bay.
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2002: Thursday morning. Loyalists placed a hoax nail bomb at the home of a nationalist family on the Hightown Road, Glengormley just outside Belfast.
The woman living at the house found the hoax bomb at 7.50am.
The hoax bomb was described as slightly larger than a carton of milk with a number of six inch nails attached with white tape.
Nationalists in the Hightown Road area of Glengormley have faced constant threats from loyalists.
A loyalist was lifted after an arms find.
On Thursday night two sub-machine guns and ammunition were found in a house near the Shore Road in Ritchie Street. In the loyalist Tigers Bay area a number of machine gun magazines and a number of imitation guns were also found.
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2002: Loyalists at Glenbryn held a meeting the Glenbryn area. The meeting that was called and attended by those who staged the unjust sectarian protest against the children of Holy Cross girls primary school was, the loyalists claimed, about the lack of movement on a number of issues to do with the area.
The meeting raised fears in nationalist north Belfast that loyalists may once again start their unjust sectarian protest against the Holy cross girls primary school.
There were also reports on Friday that a new loyalist group calling itself the "Protestant Volunteer Force" had made a claim of responsibility for planting the hoax bomb at the home of a nationalist family in Glengormley on Thursday.
Nationalists believe its not as much a new loyalist group as a new name for the old loyalist groups.
Like the name RHD, the PVF will be seen for what it is, a cover name used by loyalist murder gangs.
SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2002: Minor stoning at the back of the nationalist homes at Alliance Ave took place from the loyalist Alliance Road. No damage was caused. Also minor stoning by loyalists across from the Loyalist Chief Street area to houses at Ardoyne near Holy Cross chapel on the Crumlin Road.
There were no more reports of trouble on Saturday.
SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2002: No reports of trouble.
MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002: The funeral took place at 9.30am of veteran Belfast Republican Tony O'Kane, 'Madra Rua'. With a Republican Sinn Féin guard of honour he was laid to rest at Milltown Cemetery. Veteran Belfast Republicans Leo Martin and Billy McKee were also in attendance. Leo Martin gave the graveside oration.
There were reports that the so-called Loyalist Commission - a group made up of loyalist groups such as UVF, RHC, UDA and UFF - would not take part in any more of the unjust protests against the Holy Cross children.
This again raised concerns that loyalists were making ready to restart the sectarian protest against Holy Cross School and the general feeling in nationalist areas of north Belfast is one of not believing anything the loyalist groupings say.
As one parent told SAOIRSE: "These loyalists have said all along that they had nothing to do with the attacks on those wee kids; now they're saying they had, something we knew all along anyway.
"They bombed our children, tried to kill them, and told lie after lie. What right thinking person would believe these loyalist gangs? It would be madness in my view."
Loyalist youths once again stoned nationalist homes near the Crumlin Road across from Ardoynes Holy Cross chapel.
The stoning again took place from the loyalist Chief Street area.
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002: Parents walking Holy Cross children to school said they noticed a marked rise in groups of loyalists standing along the route to the school. Although there was no trouble some parents said that they felt threatened by the loyalists.
There were no reports of trouble.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002: Minor stone throwing again near Alliance Ave as loyalists threw stones towards the back of nationalist homes and again across the Crumlin Road from the loyalist Chief Street area. No damage was caused.
SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2002: A report in the north Belfast news claimed that a senior member of staff in the Mater Hospital, Crumlin Road said that relations between Catholic and Protestant members of staff have reached an all-time low and also warned that tensions will be heightened with the start of the marching season.
The paper claimed their source at the Mater said the hospital was divided into two camps of workers, Catholic and Protestant. The paper claimed their senior source warned that the practice of Protestant workers cheering Orange marchers as they passed by the Mater hospital on Easter Monday has deepened the divisions and led to resentment among nationalist staff. Every year when the marching season begins the problem becomes worse by far.
That is what a lot of people are dreading. Protestant staff actually leave work and in full vision of their nationalist workmates cheer on Orangemen parading down the Crumlin Road.
The source went on to say: "This can mean that they are out of work for anything up to an hour and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife inside the hospital.
"This practice needs to be stopped. It is an insult to all of the workers in the hospital and is deeply divisive."
The source went on to accuse the hospital management of ignoring the plight of workers.
The North Belfast news also said that the warning over the tension in the Mater Hospital came just seven days after it was revealed that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions had set up a "special anti-sectarianism unit" within the hospital.
ICTU Assistant General Secretary, Peter Bunting, admitted that the unit was in response to rising sectarian tensions between staff in the interface hospital: "The unit we have set up is called counteract. It is there to help workers' learn about fair work practices and tolerances."
However, a spokesman for the Mater Hospital denied that there were any problems between staff at the hospital.
SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2002: Two men on a motorbike drove to the Springfield Road RUC barracks and attacked it with two petrol bombs before driving off towards the Falls Road. This took place around 3.30am.
The RUC said they found the motorbike later at Dunvile Park.
There were a number of bomb scares along the Falls Road, where a St Patricks Day parade was to take place.
All the scares turned out to be hoaxes and the parade went ahead.
Also reports stated that an attack on a young man in Glengormley on Friday night was sectarian. Nineteen-year-old Eamon Cleary was attacked by three loyalist youths on Friday night as he walked through Glengormley with workmates after leaving McDonalds where Eamon is a manager.
As they did so a group of loyalists shouted sectarian abuse. Eamon and his friends ignored the insults but three of the loyalists ran up to Eamon and stabbed him a number of times in the chest, side and wrist. This attack took place just after 12pm on Friday night.
Sunday night. Fighting broke out at Whitewell as loyalists attacked nationalist houses. As nationalists came out onto the streets to defend their homes, fighting took place and went on for some time.
Brit/RUC occupation forces moved into the area in force.
An uneasy calm fell over the area. As the trouble subsided at the Whitewell more fighting broke out on the Serpentine Road where nationalist homes were petrol bombed. Tension was high in the area.
MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2002: Trouble broke out on the Limestone Road once again, as nationalists confronted loyalists who were attacking Park Street and Newington Street. Also over the weekend in this area it had become clear that a nationalist was hit up to six times by fire from a loyalist gunman.
The trouble went on for sometime and Brit/RUC occupation forces were flooded into the area.
Also news reports claimed that a raid on the notorious RUC torture barracks at Castlereagh saw a number of documents taken.
This being the most protected barracks in the occupied Six Counties pointed to an inside job.
The documents were said to have been taken from the RUCs notorious Special Branch. No doubt another part of Englands Dirty War.
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2002: Fighting once more broke out on the Limestone Road as nationalists confronted loyalists who were stoning the area on Tuesday afternoon.
Claims by loyalists that the fighting took place after an attack near a Protestant school were rubbished.
A number of people from Park Street and Newington Street gave their views to SAOIRSE and were adamant that loyalists started the trouble.
We were told "the trouble broke out after a loyalist gang came out onto the Limestone Road and started to attack nationalist homes and anything else they saw.
"These loyalists didn't care who they were going to hurt when they started their stoning. What are nationalists supposed to do? Lie down and just take it?
"If those wee kids from the school and their parents found themselves in the middle of all this then it's terrible. But the blame lies with those loyalists who started it. Fir it was those loyalists who showed a disregard for the nationalist men women and children who they tried to hurt or worse here today.
"But, not only did they show this disregard for nationalists, but as we have witnessed here, their own as well. That's just out and out hate." The funeral also took place of veteran Belfast Republican Bernard (Barney) McLaughlin, who died on March 16. Barneys wishes were that the true and faithful Republican Movement lay him to rest.
Barney who rejected the sell-out and was vocal about the Provisionals got his wishes adhered to when the Republican Movement, as Republican Sinn Féin, placed the Tricolour over him and the Republican Movement afforded full military honours.
A Republican Sinn Féin Guard of Honour walked with Barney, this soldier of the Republic on his last journey to the City Cemetery, Belfast where Barneys wife, Annie, was presented with the National Flag, beret and gloves. Veteran Republican, Dan Hoban, gave a fine oration and veteran Belfast Republican, Billy McKee, gave the rosary in Irish.
On Tuesday night fighting broke out on the Limestone Road as nationalist homes came under attack. Bricks, stones, nuts and bolts were used.
Nationalists took to the streets and fighting took place. Petrol bombs and fireworks were used as Brit/RUC occupation forces moved into the area. Fighting went on. As the forces of loyalist pushed nationalists back down into Newington Street driving Land Rovers at speed towards nationalists who now were defending themselves against uniformed loyalism.
Nationalist street fighters fought back with what they found to hand and after a time petrol bombs. Fighting subsided but crowds of people stayed on the street.
Nationalists through fear of yet more attacks on their homes and community settled down for yet another sleepless night.
Also on Tuesday night loyalists stoned buses on the Shore Road in north Belfast. One bus that was forced to stop by loyalists was then boarded. The loyalists, using baseball bats, beat the driver and a number of passengers around 5.00pm. There was no doubt the loyalists were targeting nationalists.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2002: Around 3.00pm nationalist youths who were erecting a Tricolour on the Limestone Road were forced to flee with the National Flag as the RUC moved in on them.
The RUCs actions once more showed their true blue loyalism, if indeed it needed to be shown.
Only yards away loyalists have erected many flags, Union, UVF, UFF etc.
Wednesday night. More heaving fighting took place with nationalist street fighters confronting loyalist rioters on the Limestone Road.
Nuts, bolts, paint and petrol bombs were used. Things have gotten so dangerous in the area now that some parents have made their children wear hard hats. People living in the area lifted a collection around the area to but hard hats for their children because of the constant stoning from loyalists in Tigers Bay.
There was an air of uneasy calm over the area today. Tension was high and groups of people were standing about waiting to see what would happen next.
As darkness fell, fighting once more broke out with nationalist street fighters again confronting loyalist rioters. The fighting was heavy for a time with petrol bombs, paint bombs and other missiles flying.
Brit/RUC occupation forces, now heavy on the ground, moved to block off a number of roads, with armoured cars and Land Rovers. Lines of riot clad RUC and Brits were also on the ground.
Land Rovers pushed into Newington St. The nationalist street fighters moved to defend themselves from the Crown Forces and heavy fighting took place, subsiding after some time. Although the area was now calm, tension stayed very high.
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2002: Tension was high in a number of parts of north Belfast.
At Whitewell, trouble broke out as nationalists homes were attacked by loyalists. In the fighting that followed houses were damaged on both sides of the so-called Brit-made Peace Line. The attacks started around 8.30pm and lasted for some time.
Brit/RUC occupation forces moved into the area in force.
Trouble also broke out on the Serpentine Road between loyalists and nationalists, again after a group of loyalists, no doubt working to a plan of action, attacked different nationalist areas.
Again the fighting went on for some time before subsiding as Brit/RUC occupation forces moved into the area.
On the Limestone Road fighting also took place as nationalists once again confronted loyalist stone throwers. Tension was very high in the area.
Brit occupation forces blocked a number of roads in the area. The fighting subsided after a time as people near to the interface settled in for yet another sleepless night.
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2002: Gary Smith, loyalist bigot and UDA/UFF member, was found guilty of making a hoax bomb phone call to Holy Cross girls primary school.
Smith, who was on the Ardoyne Road every day as the Holy Cross children and their parents walked to the school and was witnessed by many nationalists shouting foul, dirty and sectarian slogans at the children and parents, made the hoax bomb call in the cover name of the UFF, that of the "Red Hand Defenders"
Smith was sentenced to three years after making a deal.
Once again trouble broke out on the Limestone Road, with nationalists confronting loyalist stone throwers, with fighting going on for a time on Friday afternoon.
Loyalist claims that nationalist attacked school children were once again rubbished by people living locally.
One man told SAOIRSE: "What these loyalists are saying is just not true. If any of the wee kids over there are ending up in any bother it's down to those who start the trouble. Park Street and Newington Street here are under constant attack from loyalists. Every thing from bricks, stones, bottles, fireworks, paint bombs, petrol bombs, pipe/blast bombs and gunfire.
"Nationalists will go out to defend themselves, their families and home. Why shouldn't they? Wouldn't anyone do the same?
"That wee Protestant school down there, is not under attack from anyone in this area and I can tell if it were the people here would not stand for it.
"What we are seeing is, I believe stage-managed by the loyalists. They've been trying to save face since the carry on at Holy Cross; a blind man can see that!!
"We are all witness to the UDA/UFF men stand down. Their giving the orders to their youth wing UYM.
"They are behind it all. The Protestant children are being made expendable by the loyalist hard men."
Fighting once more broke out at the Whitewell and White City as nationalists sized up to loyalists from White City. As nationalist homes were attacked in the fighting that took place a number of houses were damaged on both sides.
As Brit/RUC occupation forces moved into the area, fighting went on from street to street, subsiding as the night went on. Brit Crown Forces blocked off a number of roads.
Fighting also broke out on the Limestone Road once more on Friday night, again subsiding after some time. Crown occupation forces moved into the area in force, blocking the Limestone Road for a time.
SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2002: Saturday afternoon. Fighting again broke out on the Limestone and became very heavy around the Hallidays Road.
Nationalist street fighters confronted loyalists attacking the nationalist area.
A number of people suffered injuries and a Protestant woman suffered face wounds when a loyalist bomb thrown towards nationalists fell short hitting her car.
The fighting subsided but the area stayed tense.
Fighting also took place again at White Well where a number of houses were damaged by stones and petrol bombs. A number of cars were also damaged.
SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2002: Sunday saw no let up in fighting in a number of parts of north Belfast. As nationalists faced down loyalist crowds at Limestone Road, Whitewell and Serpentine Road.
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2002: Trouble once more broke out at Limestone Road around 3.00pm. Again loyalists claimed a Protestant school was the target of nationalists. The Protestant school wouldn't be easy to attack if indeed nationalists wanted to as they would have to pass through Brit armoured cars, RUC Land Rovers and lines of Brits/RUC in riot gear.
The fighting on the Limestone Road went on for a time before subsiding groups of people stood around the streets with tension staying high.
Around 8.00pm trouble broke out at Whitewell and Serpentine Road. With a number of houses damaged, nationalists who confronted loyalists took part in a running battle from street to street. The fighting was worse than that that had taken place in recent days and nights.
A mixed street in the area saw houses damaged with a number of the people moving out.
The fighting subsided well into the night as Brit/RUC occupation forces moved into the area. With the loyalist marching season ready to start on Easter Monday nationalists were fearful of what the next days, weeks and months would bring.
TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2002: The so-called Parades Commission said that they would allow an Orange parade to march past the Ardoyne shops on Easter Monday morning.
This unjust sectarian march, which would be forced through the nationalist part of the Crumlin Road, Ardoyne and Mountainview, would see the nationalist people of these areas blocked into their areas by occupation forces.
The same march on the 12th of July, 2001saw nationalists battle with hundreds of Brits, RUC, water cannons, armoured cars and were victims of the Brits new deadly plastic bullets.
Once again the nationalist community faced being treated as second class, as the unjust sectarian Orange statelet went on the march.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2002: Trouble broke out in a number of areas in north Belfast at interface areas, Limestone Road, Whitewell, White City; although all these areas saw trouble it was minor to that seen in recent days.
Paint bombs were thrown from the loyalist Alliance Road area towards the back of nationalist homes at Alliance Ave on Wednesday night causing damage to one house.
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2002: A Loyalist crowd erected dozens of loyalist flags along the Ardoyne Road. Union, UVF and UFF flags were put up as the RUC and other occupation forces looked on. The loyalists putting up the sectarian flags were cheered on by a crowd of loyalists who, carrying flags of their own, moved down the Ardoyne Road where nationalist youths were playing a game of soccer.
The loyalists tried to entice the nationalist youths, many of whom were just children, using sectarian and foul shouts. Failing, they started to move back up the Ardoyne Road again.
There was very little doubt the loyalists were working to a plan; for a confrontation so that they could ambush the nationalists as seen so many times before, with pipe and blast bombs or a set up for loyalist gunmen. Or was it to see the nationalists once more attacked by Brit Crown Forces? The fact is all the above have been the case for many years in the occupied counties and also in recent days.
In the afternoon a Brit bomb squad moved into Jamica Street in Ardoyne after what was believed to be a bomb was found. The Brit Occupation Forces claimed later that the scare turned out to be a hoax. The whole Brit/RUC operation took some time and caused great problems for local people living in the area.
GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2002: Again on Friday trouble broke out ina number of interface areas in north Belfast. Although bad for a time it wasn't on the level of that seen in recent days and weeks.
SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2002: Heavy fighting took place in the New Lodge area at North Queen Street around 12.30pm.
The area had been flooded by Brit/RUC occupation forces for a time; crowds of loyalists at North Queen Street were confronted by nationalists as the loyalists moved down towards the nationalist New Lodge area.
The occupation forces moved in and Brits in riot gear charge the nationalist street fighters as RUC Land Rovers pushed into the nationalist New Lodge area; and from behind occupation forces lines loyalists kept up a barrage of bottles, bricks, stones and petrol bombs. Nationalist street fighters put up a fierce resistance and the defence and attack weapon of the nationalist fighters - the petrol bomb - was put into action, hitting a number of armoured cars and Land Rovers.
A number of cars and vans were used as burning barricades to stop the advance of Crown occupation forces into the New Lodge area. Hundreds of nationalists sized up to hundreds of Crown occupation forces in riot gear, backed up by dozens of armoured cars and Land Rovers.
Around 3.30pm on Saturday afternoon, fighting was also going on on the Limestone Road after loyalist crowds attacked Park Street and Newington Street. Again Brit/RUC occupation forces moved in on nationalist street fighters who came onto the streets to confront loyalists who were attacking the nationalist community.
It was at this stage that a Republican action took place, when a more formidable weapon was used:
A number of projectiles were fired towards the advancing occupation forces, striking into Crown Force lines to cheers from nationalists.
Local people give aid to the Republicans and a woman who witnessed the militant Republican action told SAOIRSE, and a number of others were in agreement, that a number of projectiles moved through the air like small rockets. When they hit where the Brits and Peelers were, they exploded in flames.
Others told SAOIRSE: "I'm not sure if those things were launched from something. The people using them were operating from side streets firing towards the Brits and Peelers.
"The caused some panic as the Brits and Peelers pulled back for a time," one witness said.
He thought the projectiles may have been some kind of doctored flare, that moved at considerable speed, picking out their targets. They were like small rockets.
Another woman added: "Whatever they were it was good to see someone from our side doing something for a change. We've always to sit back and take it. Let's hope this is the start of something.
"Maybe now the Brits, Peelers and those bloody loyalists will think twice.
"The people firing those rockets had no fear. Good on them, that's all I can say. Good on them".
As SAOIRSE talked to people in the Limestone Road, Newington Street area, we were approached by individuals who asked who we were. When told that we were interviewing for Republican Sinn Féin's SAOIRSE paper we were told that they too were members of the Republican Movement and had carried out the earlier attack on occupation forces.
The individuals who kept their identity concealed, said that they would give an interview on the operation carried out earlier at a safe place in the area. A person there stated that they were Republican activists, their idealism was that of RSF and added that they have had to watch for sometime now as the nationalist community of North Belfast has been forced to endure Brit occupation forces and Orange loyalisms aggression, brutality and constant attack.
On March 30, Republican activists took matters into their own hands, after witnessing once again the sectarian brutality of this Orange statelet. As Brit occupation forces attacked men, women and children with plastic bullets and beating them with batons, these forces then tried to force their way into nationalist Limestone Road and Newington street.
It was at this stage that Republican activists fired four devices at advancing occupation forces. This action was carried out in spite of Provisional policemen in the area. It is believed that injury was caused to members of Brit forces who were on foot. "We are not prepared to state what device was used, but they are designed to do considerable damage," a spokesperson added.
SAOIRSE, as stated here, have been able to confirm from locals that the attack took place and the weapons used did strike Brit occupation forces lines.
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