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03/09/2001
Protest outside Belfast primary school leads to clashes with police
Police and army have mounted an operation to prevent Protestant protesters blocking an entrance to a Catholic primary school in Belfast.
Around 200 residents from loyalist Glenbryn who were attempting to block the Ardoyne Road near the Holy Cross Girls Primary School found themselves faced by a security cordon and a shielded walkway erected overnight by security force engineers.
There were minor scuffles as loyalist protestors clashed with police who used drawn batons to clear the road.
North Belfast Progressive Unionist Party assembly member Billy Hutchinson was critical of the tactics used by police and describing the security operation as “heavy-handed”.
However, RUC Assistant Chief Constable Alan MCQuillan said security forces had to “hold the line” between the Protestant and Catholic communities in Belfast.
It was reported that a mother of one of the schoolchildren was injured during an attack by some of the crowd who threw stones and other missiles at the school.
Parents described how the incident was affecting young children on their return to school, as it turned into a major security operation to prevent sectarian clashes.
Northern Ireland Office Minister Des Browne said that the children, some of them attending school for the first time, should not be targeted as part of a dispute.
Mediated talks between representatives of the Catholic and Protestant groups arranged at the weekend broke down with no resolution to the issue.
Protestant residents said that the protest had been resumed due to intimidation and abuse from republicans in the area, while Catholic representatives claimed that the school should not be a part of the problems facing the Protestant community in the area.
Alliance party councillor Tom Eakin appealed for both republicans and loyalists in the area to continue to look for a peaceful solution to the situation. (SP)
Around 200 residents from loyalist Glenbryn who were attempting to block the Ardoyne Road near the Holy Cross Girls Primary School found themselves faced by a security cordon and a shielded walkway erected overnight by security force engineers.
There were minor scuffles as loyalist protestors clashed with police who used drawn batons to clear the road.
North Belfast Progressive Unionist Party assembly member Billy Hutchinson was critical of the tactics used by police and describing the security operation as “heavy-handed”.
However, RUC Assistant Chief Constable Alan MCQuillan said security forces had to “hold the line” between the Protestant and Catholic communities in Belfast.
It was reported that a mother of one of the schoolchildren was injured during an attack by some of the crowd who threw stones and other missiles at the school.
Parents described how the incident was affecting young children on their return to school, as it turned into a major security operation to prevent sectarian clashes.
Northern Ireland Office Minister Des Browne said that the children, some of them attending school for the first time, should not be targeted as part of a dispute.
Mediated talks between representatives of the Catholic and Protestant groups arranged at the weekend broke down with no resolution to the issue.
Protestant residents said that the protest had been resumed due to intimidation and abuse from republicans in the area, while Catholic representatives claimed that the school should not be a part of the problems facing the Protestant community in the area.
Alliance party councillor Tom Eakin appealed for both republicans and loyalists in the area to continue to look for a peaceful solution to the situation. (SP)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A chilly start with a widespread frost and some freezing fog, any freezing fog slow to clear. Otherwise bright with sunny spells and coastal showers. Light winds. Maximum temperature 6 °C.Tonight:Coastal showers dying out with a widespread frost developing along with freezing fog, which could become extensive. Winds remaining light. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
