Gun attack on community centre
Loyalist violence against the nationalist community escalated in
the last week with a gun attack on the Ashton Centre in the New
Lodge Road area of North Belfast on Friday 20 July.
In addition to that attack, there were at least ten pipe bomb
attacks on Catholic homes throughout the North.
At the Ashton Centre, which houses numerous community development
groups and a children's playgroup, two loyalist gunmen opened
fire on two community development workers, firing at least eight
shots.
As the workers ran inside the centre for cover, the gunmen fired
recklessly into the building, where a children's summer scheme
was in progress. Although no one was injured, five people,
including a child's parent who collapsed, were treated for shock.
According to one of the two workers who came under fire, he and
his workmate had gone into the yard at the back of the building
when they noticed the would be killers checking the units which
house local small businesses. Luckily on the day in question,
these were all closed.
The man said that the gunmen then noticed him and his friend and
came at them firing as they ran for their lives. According to the
man, who wishes to remain anonymous, the loyalists were intent on
killing the first person they came across. ``When they realised no
one was in the work units, they looked around and spotted us as
we stood outside having a smoke. We were a bit wary of them and
when we saw the gun we ran inside but they just opened fire
anyway. The creche with children in it is in the next room.''
The loyalists used a Citroen car to make their getaway. The
vehicle was later found abandoned in Annesley Street, which runs
in an L shape from the Antrim Road and joins the Crumlin Road.
The gunmen would then have been within walking distance of the
Lower Shankill, where the UDA's `C Company' is based.
Accusing the UDA of being behind the attempted killing, Sinn Féin
Assembly member Gerry Kelly said: ``The UDA have been
orchestrating the violence against nationalists in Belfast over
the past month. This is just the most serious incident to date.
As for the claim made by the Red Hand Defenders, we all know the
UDA have been using that as a smoke screen to cover their
involvement in sectarian attacks.''
Patricia McKeown of Unison, the public service union, condemned
the attack on the Ashton Centre, highlighting the number of her
union's members involved in community and cross community
development at the centre, which hosts local children, women and
young people in North Belfast.
Community worker Terry O'Neill, who is based in the Ashton
Centre, told An Phoblacht ``this was an attack on the whole
community, as this centre is very much at the hub of many
community projects aimed at developing the Greater New Lodge
area.
``The UDA were intent on killing the first Catholic they spotted
and it was lucky no one was killed.''
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