NIGHT OF THE LIVING HUNSQUAD

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday June 25, 2002 16:27 by roisin watson - mynervesarewrecked

tour of the north erupes in violence, catholic and protestant pensioners on Duncairn Gardens caught in the middle of baying loyalist mob.

Friday, catholic and protestant pensioners barricaded themselves in their homes as the tour of the north parade turned into Duncairn Gardens, as pensioners settled down to watch Big brother, cries and shouts of "kick the door in" rang out, from the engulfing tide of commotion outside. The peelers/PSNI had conveniently forgotten to put up a steel sheild on top of an exposed garage, allowing New lodge wee kids to stone the loyalist parade, peelers had put up steel shields at the bottom of Duncairn gardens,at the gates of Lepper st and at the top of Duncairn gardens but had neglected to shield out a gap above a garage between Neeson's shop. All hell then broke loose as loyalist marchers and new lodge wee kids exchanged missiles. Loyalists were on the brink of bootin down the doors of pensioners homes to get at the ones from New lodge, when the peelers arrived and instead of escourtin the loyalist crowd into Hallidays road, just pushed the loyalist marchers on up Duncairn gardens, Loyalist fury by now was at boiling point having been exposed then denied excess to the crowds from New lodge, a loyalist mob then proceeded to kick in pensioners doors further up Duncairn Gardens, unchanllenged by the conveniently too little, too late PSNI peelers. A policeman insider told me he had been told by his RUC/PSNI colleagues not to go near Duncairn Gardens as trouble was about to 'kick off'. Now if the PSNI knew trouble was brewing they should have escourted the contentious tour of the north parade up Duncairn gardens to Hallidays road, as they usually always do every year, RUC/PSNI peelers always flank both sides of the parade as it moves up Duncairn gardens, but this year for some STRANGE reason RUC/PSNI decided to let the parade make its own way up Duncairn gardens and allow all hell to break loose, and give the loyalist marchers a free reign to run amok. Angry pensioners and residents of Duncairn gardens are now putting in a written complaint about the terrorising fiasco to peeler chiefs.