Friday morning. Most of the children of Our Lady of Mercy were kept at home today as parents concerns for their safety was high.
Holy Cross re-opened. At around 8.50am children and parents started making their way to the school. Lines of Brit/RUC occupation forces armoured cars lined the route as groups of loyalists looked on. Foul and sectarian cat calls were heard.
This was repeated as the parents returned down the road. The same was the case as the parents went up to pick their children up on Friday afternoon but on the return back down the Ardoyne Road there was pushing and pulling by loyalists against the children and parents. Fr Troy was also a target for this.
On down the Crumlin at the Ardoyne shops, crowds of nationalists stood as crowds of loyalists stood at Woodvale Road and Twaddell Ave. Between, along the Crumlin Road stood Brit/RUC occupation forces.
The Provisionals took control of the nationalists, making sure that they didn’t lose this control, as they did on the two previous days and nights; days when Brit Stormont MLA Gerry Kelly stated that the Provisionals couldn’t control the situation.
In fact, not for the first time were the Provos unable to prevent the nationalist resistance to the Provisionals-adopted Orange statelet.
The Provos would do well to remember the words of Pearse: “Beware of the thing that is coming. Beware of the Risen People.”
The stand-off went on for some time before it ended around 4.30pm.
Around 5.30pm trouble broke out as loyalists attacked people near Ardoyne shops.
Nationalists managed to push the loyalists back down towards Twaddell Ave. This fighting, minor to that of previous days, subsided as Brit/RUC occupation forces once again flooded the Crumlin Road. Tension was high as crowds of nationalists and loyalists stood around the streets.
As nationalists left the area, making their way home or just going about their business, all seemed to be calm although tense.
Around 7pm loyalists in a car drove down the Crumlin Road. When they got to the nationalists homes facing the Holy Cross chapel the car stopped. A number of men got out and attacked the houses, breaking a number of windows before driving off again. One of the attackers used a hammer.
This took place within eye and ear shot of Brit Crown forces near the top Brompton Park.
Later on in the night a petrol bomb was thrown at Holy Cross chapel. It fell short into trees and no damage was done.
Loyalists claimed that a number of windows were broken in Twaddell Ave. It was clear this happened early in the day when nationalists fought off loyalists who had been attacking people at the Ardoyne shops.
Friday was to come to a close with a very uneasy calm over north Belfast.
Saturday, January 12, 2002. Saturday morning brought news that a nationalist post office worker was murdered in the loyalist Rathcoole.
Postman Daniel McColgan was cut down by a number of bullets fired by UDA/UFF gunmen.
The murder took place at 5am at the Rathcoole Post Office in Newtownabbey. Danny McColgan was a very easy target for the murder gang.
Republican Sinn Féin rubbish claims that the murder was done by the so-called Red Hand Defenders and point out that this is a cover name that has been used by all loyalist groups. RSF have no doubt the killing of young Danny McColgan was carried out by the UDA/UFF.
The general view of people in north Belfast was that someone was going to be killed. As one woman told SAOIRSE: “It’s a terrible thing to say but everyone knew someone was going to be killed by these loyalists. There was never any question of if it would happen just a question of when. People may think that’s a terrible way for anyone to think. Here in north Belfast it’s different. Everyone thinks as I do.
“It’s part of life here. The constant worry of death from loyalist murder gangs. It’s a sad way for things to be but that’s the way of life here for as long as I can remember.
“It was bad enough when I was growing up but now I have children of my own. It’s just worry, worry.”
The young mother didn’t wish to be named. Understandable in the situation she finds herself.
Once again, an uneasy calm fell over north Belfast.
People here walk down a street or sit in their homes, ever watchful. The car or that motorbike passing, or pulling up outside the door could be loyalists. Always better to be safe than sorry.
Saturday drew on with only minor trouble.
Sunday, January 13, 2002.
An attempted abduction of a nationalist took place in Old Park Ave, near to Cliftonville Road. A number of nationalists were walking down Old Park Ave around 4am when a car pulled up. Fearing for their lives the nationalist men (four men) ran off.
The loyalists got hold of one of them and were beating him round the head with what seemed to be a car wheel brace and something else.
As they tried to pull the man to the car his friends returned and made towards the car. At this the men ran back to the car leaving their victim on the ground.
The man need to be treated in hospital for injuries to his head. This attack took place only yards from where another nationalist escaped an abduction attempt in the summer.
This was the third abduction attempt within a half mile area in north Belfast since the start of the new year.
Sunday afternoon. Loyalists targeted a nationalist family as they drove up Duncarin Gardens.
The man whose car was targeted didn’t wish to be named through fear of loyalist reprisal. He said the device, a pipe bomb hit his car and was thrown from the Hollidays Road to his right as he drove towards the Antrim Road. It hit the car, falling off and exploded as it hit the road.
This attack was, as with many such attacks, played down.
Also on Sunday night three Catholic schools were attacked by loyalists.
St Patricks High was damaged in a loyalist fire-bomb attack. The school is on the Ballinderry Road, Lisburn.
Also attacked was St Brides Primary at Derryvolgie, south Belfast. The school was fire-bombed and sectarian loyalist slogans were painted on walls and cars.
St Anne’s in Dunmurry was also attacked. Three class rooms were destroyed in this attack which took place on Sunday night.
It’s clear that loyalists are out to widen their sectarian attacks.
Brit occupation forces claimed to have found a number of weapons in the New Lodge area. The arms find was said to have been a machine gun, shot gun, home made bombs and a landmine.
The RUC also claimed the weapons belonged to the INLA. This claim was dismissed by Paul Little of the IRSP.
