"This is a vulnerable Catholic community under constant threat from
loyalists and it has been abandoned by Sinn Féin," says Paddy Murray as he
stands outside his home in Antrim's Rathenraw Estate.
They are powerful words from a former IRA prisoner and, until recently,
chairperson of the local Sinn Féin cumann. "Twelve out of thirteen of us in
the cumann resigned earlier this summer," says Murray who is also
chairperson of the Rathenraw Community Association.
"We felt completely let down by Sinn Féin. It's all about being respectable
these days. It's about not upsetting unionism. It's about presenting a good
image to the media to win middle-class votes. It's not about protecting an
isolated community which needs help.
"A neighbour had his home attacked four times in three weeks this summer.
The girl who lived in the house before him was petrol bombed. Residents
live in constant fear." Sinn Féin strongly denies it has abandoned the
community and attributes the divisions to "personality differences".
Some residents criticise the work of local Sinn Féin councillors, Martin
Meehan and Martin McManus. Sinn Féin says both men are fully committed to
their constituents.
Murray (41) served eight years of a 25-year sentence after being arrested on
his way to blow up oil tanks at Belfast City Airport in 1993. His co-accused
was Danny Morrison's brother Ciaran. On release from jail, he voiced support
for the peace process and threw himself into community activity. He says he
never thought he'd find himself in conflict with Sinn Féin.
Only 250 families live in Rathenraw, a bleak estate with small clusters of
houses, vast stretches of grass, and little else. It's surrounded by
loyalists on all sides. There are regular attacks on Catholic residents,
homes and cars.
In June, a pipe bomb exploded outside Murray's house. Last month, Catholic
teenagers, drinking in a pub in town, were beaten up by loyalist bandsmen.
Three years ago, Ciaran Cummings (19) was shot dead on his way to work.
"Remember Ciaran Cummings, ha, ha, ha!" and other abuse has been painted on
walls.
Loyalist flags and graffiti adorn Antrim. Residents say the town centre
isn't safe after dark. Catholics have been beaten up while shopping or
leaving the cinema. Loyalists have gathered outside St Malachy's Catholic
High School sporadically for the past three years.
"It's similar to Holy Cross in Ardyone," says Murray. "It started with a
group of between five and ten loyalists standing outside the school with
pitbull terriers, Alsatians and Rottweilers. They'd shout abuse and act in a
threatening manner when children were going home.
"So I would pick up my son, put him in the car, then go back and stand with
the rest of the kids. At one stage, the crowd grew to 150 and they had
sticks. We're just waiting to see what happens when school re-opens next
month."
Murray claims Sinn Féin didn't like his approach: "Their attitude was that
Catholics are so out-numbered in Antrim, we should just keep our heads down.
I couldn't go along with that. If loyalists are stoning our homes, then I'm
sorry but I won't stop our young people stoning them back.
"If there is an incursion of loyalists into this estate - and there have
been many with hand-to-hand fighting - then I'll go out with my neighbours,
with baseball bats, to defend our homes. Sinn Féin thinks I'm a dinosaur."
Many residents voiced dissatisfaction with Sinn Féin at a meeting of the
Rathenraw Community Assocation on Wednesday night. Deborah Taylor (28) who
has three young children said: "Every year, during the marching season, my
house is attacked.
"All the windows are broken. There's no point in fixing them until September
because they'll only be broken again. Sinn Féin is doing nothing to protect
us. They don't care." Aine Gribbon (38), a mother of eight was a Sinn Féin
candidate in the council elections but has now left the party.
Last year, the police warned her she was on a loyalist paramilitary death
list. "Sinn Féin isn't representing this community," she says. "My brother
lives on the Stiles Estate which is very loyalist. He's married to a
Protestant. His was one of 10 houses that had every window put in last year.
"He's had to built a huge wall around the house and put an eight-foot fence
on top of that. He has installed reinforced glass. It was a battle to get
Sinn Féin to even highlight these attacks. They eventually did it but they
didn't want to rock the boat."
Youth worker Sharon Brash says: "My house was stoned on the Twelfth and Sinn
Féin did absolutely nothing. I'll never vote for them again." Asked about
the tensions in Rathenraw, a police spokeswoman said: "Police constantly
work closely in partnership with representatives from both sides of the
community and elected officials in the area to resolve any problems."
Joe McCavanagh (35) is a former republican prisoner and Sinn Féin election
candidate. "We are a tiny island of nationalists here in Rathenraw," he
says. "We needed help from outside to survive but Sinn Féin wouldn't give
it.
"Plenty of times they didn't even visit people when their homes were
attacked. Sometimes that's all people want - a visit - to let them know
somebody cares." He also left Sinn Féin: "As a republican, it was really
hard to do. It turned my world upside down but we felt very let down by Sinn
Féin."
Residents say they have also clashed with Sinn Féin over the drugs' problem
in the estate. Last week, Stephen Johnston of Suffolk Square was charged in
connection with the seizure of £500,000 worth of ecstasy.
"We were concerned when this man moved into the estate but certain
individuals in Sinn Féin vouched for him," says Paddy Murray. "Local people
now want this man's family to move out but Sinn Féin are protecting them and
accusing us of intimidation."
Some residents who have criticised Sinn Féin allege they have been
threatened by party representatives. Sinn Féin were invited to the Rathenraw
Community Association's meeting on Wednesday but didn't attend.
However, a Sinn Féin spokesman said the party had met with some residents
separately the previous night. He said both Catholic and Protestant homes
had been attacked in Antrim. He strongly denied that Sinn Féin had abandoned
Rathenraw or that its representatives had threatened residents. "Sinn Féin
is not in the business of making threats," he said.
