Andersonstown News, September 15, 2005
Those pictures of unionist/loyalist violence in Belfast which appear on our TV screens mostly show riots and
attacks against the police. It goes unnoticed that much of the violence is directed against people from the
Irish nationalist
community, the attacker mostly choose the victim by random, out of sectarian hatred against catholics, Irish
nationalists or republicans.
The police is seen not to intervene, even if present. One example out of many: two brothers,
their elderly mother and their
11-year-old nephew were surrounded by an angry mob of loyalists at the Fortwilliam slip road off the M2 motorway.
The family from Ardoyne were told to “get the f**k out the car” and told to hand over the keys by the 30-strong
mob who were wielding handguns, baseball bats and iron bars. “At that part of the road you can’t see round the
bend so all of us panicked when we saw them,” the man said. “We stopped the car, and they were like bees swarming
all over the car. They pulled us out and we were left stranded while they set it on fire.
The cops were literally a hundred yards away and they didn’t do a thing."
The following report is only one example of the far too many cases of murderous bigotry during this Orange
marching season.
Strand victim speaks out
by Victoria McMahon
The friend who was with Short Strand man John McKay when he was viciously
attacked and left for dead by a loyalist mob has broken his silence over the
horrifying ordeal.
The brutal assault on the two Catholic men Friday past was only the tip of
the iceberg – a preview of what lay in store for the people of Belfast as
widespread violence by loyalists and Orangemen caused havoc throughout the
city and the North. 29-year-old John McKay and best friend Ciaran Kelly (34)
were walking home to their Short Strand homes in the early hours of Friday
morning when they were attacked by a 15-strong loyalist mob, leaving postman
John fighting for his life.
“This was attempted murder,” said Ciaran who watched helplessly as his
friend of 14 years lay in a pool of blood as loyalists rained blows and
kicks to his head.
“I felt so helpless. I tried to get to John but there was just too many of
them,” said Ciaran.
In a bizarre twist the pair were returning home from The Edge bar and
restaurant where they had been attending a fundraising event for murdered
friend, stab victim Robert McCartney, when a bottle was thrown on to the
nationalist side of the Albertbridge Road where they were walking.
Ciaran Kelly has been reliving the moments before the brutal unprovoked
sectarian attack on his friend John McKay whom he describes as a “gentleman
who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“It was clear they were aiming at us. I think I said to John ‘There’s going
to be trouble here’,” remembers Ciaran.
“We decided to quicken up and get to the walkway. All I can remember when we
got to the walkway is that in a blink of an eye there was about 15 of them
jumped us.
“I got knocked to the ground, there wasn’t as many attacking me as there
were at John because he was still standing, whereas I was falling backwards.
I struggled as much as I could and I got myself up and over to the traffic
island.
“I was screaming the whole time for John to get up,” says Ciaran.
John however had been knocked unconscious and it would later emerge suffered
a fractured skull and perforated eardrum.
“I saw him lying in a pool of blood. I thought he was dead. I really did
fear the worst,” says Ciaran.
When Ciaran tried to ring for help his mobile was kicked out of his hand by
their attackers. He says if it hadn’t been for the heroic efforts of passing
black taxi drivers John would have been beaten to death.
“One black taxi driver stopped and kind of drove at them trying to get them
away from John. The taxi driver did save John’s life at that time. It made
them go, seeing other people arriving on the scene, they dispersed. Then the
taxi drivers surrounded us, protecting us from the mob.
“When I got near where the black taxi was I saw one guy stamping on his
head. I was just annoyed I couldn’t get over to help him. When I did get to
him I just covered over the top of him. I was so afraid they would come
back.”
Lucky to escape with minor cuts and bruises Ciaran says he lays blame for
the terrifying assault at the door of unionist politicians and Orangemen who
called people onto the streets.
“This was only a prelude to the mad events that have happened since then.
“It doesn’t take a scientist to make the connection between what happened to
John and the inflammatory situation that had been building. These people who
attacked John were inflamed by their politicians and the Orange Order, they
called these animals out onto the streets,” says Ciaran.
“It takes brave men to pick on just two people but it has happened to more
than just us. It’s all the hype of last week started all this and it
accumulated, starting on Friday night.”
Now recovering at home surrounded by family and friends John is due to be
groomsman at his sister’s wedding in a fortnight’s time.
“It could easily have been a funeral we were all attending, not a wedding,”
said his sister.
