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21/01/2002
North Belfast’s cycle of violence continues
The weekend saw violence once again flaring up in north Belfast with crowds of youths throwing petrol bombs, stones and blast bombs at police and fire officers.
Three firefighters were injured in the riots, which took place on Sunday January 20, and one fireman has not returned to work due to his injuries.
Trouble broke out in mainly loyalist area of the Whitewell road after an elderly man's house was extensively damaged in a petrol bombing.
Disturbances continued when fire service personnel, who were attending a call reporting a car set on fire near an old shop warehouse on the Mill Road, were stoned by youths from the nearby nationalist Bawnmore estate.
Jim Barbour, spokesman for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Northern Ireland said the attacks were “absolutely outrageous”. He said firefighters who were attending an emergency call came under a series of “vicious, unwarranted and totally unjustified” attacks. Mr Barbour said the FBU would be seeking a meeting with the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety Bairbre de Brún as a matter of urgency. Mr Barbour said: “Clearly a solution must be sought. Local politicians and community leaders must get involved in this process in order to chart the way forward.”
Mr Barbour added that strike action was an option that the Union would not be ruling out.
North Belfast Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds has condemned the violence and said he would be meeting police chiefs to demand better security for the area. (AMcE)
Three firefighters were injured in the riots, which took place on Sunday January 20, and one fireman has not returned to work due to his injuries.
Trouble broke out in mainly loyalist area of the Whitewell road after an elderly man's house was extensively damaged in a petrol bombing.
Disturbances continued when fire service personnel, who were attending a call reporting a car set on fire near an old shop warehouse on the Mill Road, were stoned by youths from the nearby nationalist Bawnmore estate.
Jim Barbour, spokesman for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Northern Ireland said the attacks were “absolutely outrageous”. He said firefighters who were attending an emergency call came under a series of “vicious, unwarranted and totally unjustified” attacks. Mr Barbour said the FBU would be seeking a meeting with the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety Bairbre de Brún as a matter of urgency. Mr Barbour said: “Clearly a solution must be sought. Local politicians and community leaders must get involved in this process in order to chart the way forward.”
Mr Barbour added that strike action was an option that the Union would not be ruling out.
North Belfast Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds has condemned the violence and said he would be meeting police chiefs to demand better security for the area. (AMcE)
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