Gerry Adams claims the Protestant working class has been "politically abandoned" and deserves "a better future". He refers to "a particular problem at interfaces, which has made life intolerable for those living in these areas" and adds that everyone has the "right to live free from sectarian harassment".
Two days previously nationalists and unionists visited White City interfaces in north Belfast to listen to loyalist residents. The visitors had been invited by the UPRG and came under the auspices of the Guild of Uriel, a cross-border group chaired jointly by Julitta Clancy of County Meath and myself. They included people from as far apart as Louth, Fermanagh, Armagh, Antrim, Cavan, Down, Belfast and Dublin.
Frankie Gallagher of the UPRG gave directions that indicated I was to see a new White City from the one I had known. He told me to go to the end of the tricolours on the Whitewell Road and turn left at the CCTV camera. I could remember visiting Greencastle Orange Hall on the Whitewell Road in the late 1960s but now it is derelict and surrounded by tricolours while a nearby Pentecostal Church can hardly be seen through overgrown trees. The church seemed like a parable for the desolation, neglect and vulnerability of White City residents who told us of their pain. You could have heard a pin drop as residents, unused to public speaking, quietly faced a crowd of around 50 people. Feelings are still raw and people had not recovered from personal attacks or attacks upon friends, relatives and property.
What struck me most was the smallness of this enclave surrounded by what were perceived to be largely hostile nationalist neighbours. Many three-generation families lived in White City and were determined to stay put, despite feeling under threat and bereft of amenities. They had no shops, no doctors, no schools, no church, no dentist, no baby clinic, no social security office, no post office and no play areas within the enclave. Even the PSNI were seen in a hostile light. They had apparently told residents it would be better if Protestants left the area.
Republicans, who were differentiated from "decent Catholics" leaving the adjoining area, were blamed for the situation. One community worker
criticised the "one-sided manner" in which the Good Friday Agreement was being implemented. Security cameras had been installed thanks to local politicians and the government, but there was no funding for community workers and nobody seemed to care.
Parents worried about children going to and from school and about the younger children having nowhere to play and denied a normal upbringing.
Some parents were distraught and tearful but sometimes angry. Two bus stops, within a short distance of each other, said it all. Protestant
children used one and Catholic children the other – waiting for the same bus while clearly identified as members of different factions. Even those living in the middle of the estate were not free from concern although they didn't face 'normal' anti-social behaviour from within their community.
When an attack takes place a siren sounds and police are called but the PSNI often claim they have insufficient officers available. When eventually the police arrive the attackers have usually departed and White City young people are arrested for resisting attempts to drive them back into the estate.
We visited the site where Thomas McDonald was killed by a car in 2001. It had been turned into a shrine with bouquets of flowers commemorating a young life taken away suddenly. Later that day reports came through that the memorial had been attacked and nearby windows broken. Locals said our visit provided the spark for this. We had gathered round the memorial and it was assumed we were loyalists laying a wreath, whereas most of us were nationalists and we had no wreaths.
It is too easy for those of us living in relatively stable peaceful areas to forget people living under such conditions. We speak about human rights and human dignity while these residents say they don't live but simply exist there from day to day. They face many physical, social and emotional needs that should be urgently met, but the bitter sectarian divisions seem to be central to the hurt and alienation. Yet ironically there is an integrated school close to White City and attended by some of the children.
The UPRG must be congratulated for initiating this dialogue among a marginalised people – being marginalised means being ignored and/or treated as insignificant. They have also helpfully removed loyalist flags from the area. The words of Gerry Adams will be regarded by the residents as potentially helpful but White City and other areas needs to see more action on the ground from Republicans, from the authorities and from the rest of us.
