Attacks on Families in Coleraine

I am grateful for the opportunity to recount the experiences of my constituents, who have lived through three years of hell, suffering attack after attack by so-called Loyalist paramilitaries. Those attacks have at times been sustained and at other times spasmodic, depending on the mood of the thugs who carry them out.

I am pleased that David McClarty is on the Bench opposite and will also contribute to the debate. I thank him for his unequivocal support and leadership during that period - no ifs, no buts and no excuses, and that is the way it should be. Any politician who finds excuses for terror groups who commit crimes against innocent people have nothing to contribute to the development of democracy. In simple terms, they are a sad bunch.

More than 200 attacks have taken place over the past three years. Some of the attacks were minor, but nevertheless they have been a living nightmare for the victims. Other attacks have been very serious: unexploded pipe bombs by the dozen, pipe bombs exploding in living rooms, and gunfire accompanying pipe bomb attacks. Public houses have been shot up and have been burnt out. Over the past two years, there have been 55 pipe bomb attacks alone, with a catalogue of incidents involving murder, attempted murder, pipe bombs, intimidation and so forth. The majority of those attacks were against Catholics, and were carried out in the name of Protestants, without their approval. Those carrying out the outrages have no mandate from anyone and not only have they hurt the Catholic community grievously, they have offended the Protestant community, which wants no part of their evil doing and has said so time and time again. Attacks have not been exclusively against Catholics. Anyone who gets in the way of these people is fair game, with at least one Protestant family in exile because it dared to stand up to them.

The police have had recent success against these evil elements, and I hope that there will be many more. In 2000, eight searches were carried out; 20 people were arrested and six charged. In 2001, the number of searches doubled to 16; 18 people were arrested and nine charged. I am sorry that such success did not come sooner because many children have been traumatised by the violence used against their families. The impact of this sustained campaign has been psychologically devastating, and the mental agony cannot be quantified. The fallout will go on for years and may well have ruined the educational potential of the victims. It has damaged their personalities and everything that makes them individuals in their own right. "Suffer little children.".

In the meantime, those behind these attacks lead comfortable lifestyles, developing legitimate businesses, feathering their nests, laundering their ill-gotten gains and setting themselves up as mandarins with power over whole communities. Surely it is time to bury the Mexican spaghetti western images of the past, when hard men entered towns and told people to leave or they would be shot before dawn.

The Housing Executive has the responsibility to make safe the homes of those who are attacked. It has fitted deadlocks to doors and, on occasions, replaced glass with safety material capable of stopping pipe bombs. The Housing Executive could have done so much more if it had been permitted. Too often, families have been offered alternative accommodation in areas known to be more dangerous than those out of which they were intimidated. Why should families that have committed no crime, been found guilty of no offence and that have hurt no one, have to leave their homes and flee to England for safety? That is a denial of a basic human right - the right to live in one's own community, free from intimidation and violence.

On occasion it has been suggested that this is the work of a criminal element with no affinity to any known organisation. Such an explanation may well satisfy the consciences of some, but the pattern of events shows that the attacks have been highly organised and switched on and off at will as the situation demands.

When the number of attacks reached epidemic proportions more than a year ago, church representatives in the Coleraine area spoke out in the strongest of terms against them. The community as a whole expressed its opinion loudly and clearly. The police issued an eight-point plan to deal with the situation. Attacks ceased for a considerable period, but they started up again, focused largely on Gaelic sports clubs and culminating in the death of a young man who, it is believed, died when handling a deadly device. He was less than twenty years of age, little more than a child. The young person had been lured into an organisation with nothing to offer anyone, irrespective of which community he or she comes from. Since then there have been no attacks, but there have been death threats and one attempted murder. People are on edge, not knowing when these evil people might be successful in claiming yet another life.

No one believed that it would be easy to come out of 30 years of violence. There might even be complacency; because people are no longer dying in their dozens on the streets of our cities and towns - Omagh excepted. We cannot allow ourselves to become complacent, and we cannot afford to allow terror groups to dictate law and order, to decide where people can and cannot live or to adjudicate on whether people should live or die. We cannot have a situation in which brave witnesses, who are prepared to give information to the police, are intimidated and forced to withdraw their statements and tell the warlords that they will not do it again. Too much has been gained, and too much has gone into the peace process to allow that to become the norm. If we do, there is a real risk that the opponents of the peace process will use such activity as an excuse to consolidate their negative thinking and bankrupt policies. The terrorists want that. Then they are free to go on lining their pockets with the proceeds of peddled drugs, laundered fuel, cheap cigarettes, protection money and all the other schemes that they have devised to get rich on the back of a beleaguered community.

In Coleraine, and well beyond, there is a determination not to let the law of the jungle prevail. There is genuine desire to ensure that good triumphs over evil; trust overcomes fear; and happiness replaces the pain that has been felt by so many over the last 30 years. We must build on that, encourage it and reward the good people, many of whom work in voluntary community groups with meagre resources. Given encouragement and leadership we can chart a new beginning. We are doing just that, but the message must be sent out time and again that the days of the bully boys are over.

Irrespective of what community they claim to represent, there must be no future for the men of violence or the opportunities that they crave to divide people on a sectarian basis. Those opportunities must be removed forever. It is surely time to step out into the no-man's-land in the divided community, to take risks for peace and to be brave and not afraid of setbacks or of displeasing some people in the process. It is time to put away the graffiti brushes, replace the murals of anger with messages of love and to build bridges of trust, rather than so-called peace walls.

In Coleraine, good people are determined to put the past behind them. However, that will not happen without leadership from the politicians, action from the police, initiatives from community leaders and direction from the Assembly. From now on there must be more to unite us than to divide us. As the peace process gains momentum, no one must be left behind.

The innocent families who have yet to experience the benefits of the peace process that has so much to offer everybody, must not be left on the platform of despair, abandoned and alone. That would undermine the very essence of the Assembly, which is encouraging equality for all in every respect. There is renewed hope and determination to shake off the images of the past. Above all, there is a realisation that success can only be achieved by partnerships built on a solid foundation of trust, based on respect for differences and acceptance of diversity.

The hard men who have done so much to hurt people and damage the image of Coleraine have nothing to contribute. In most cases the godfathers do not live in the local community but direct their campaign of terror from outside it. It is time for the authorities to reel them in and to allow the ordinary, decent people to continue the long haul to permanent peace and political and economic stability.

I was born and raised in Coleraine, and I have lived in the town all my life, except for a brief sojourn in another area of the Province. Coleraine borough has always prided itself on its many wonderfully positive attributes: its geographical position on the north coast, its many natural attractions and tourist amenities, and its excellent record of good community relations. Coleraine was fortunate to have been spared the worst of the troubles that have afflicted the Province for the last 30 years.

Today, the community in Coleraine, for the most part, remains united against violence, bigotry and intolerance. That is why it is regrettable that this debate exposes the negative elements that exist in the town, which seek to drag the people of Coleraine in a direction in which they have no wish to be taken.

Unfortunately, the image of intolerant, violent and thuggish behaviour raises too often its ugly head from the gutter of society. Despite all the positive aspects of Coleraine, there is no point in disguising the fact that sinister sectarian and non-sectarian behaviour permeates the majority of law-abiding residents.

All such behaviour is sickening, senseless and reeks of bigoted intolerance. That intolerance is directed against religion, race and even age. It is worrying that the non-sectarian attacks that we increasingly hear about on our streets, including Coleraine's, appear to be more senseless than ever before. Often they are unprovoked and without the slightest shred of justification.

Last week I searched the BBC News website for all the news stories associated with Coleraine. I was shocked by the litany of reports of pipe bomb attacks, shootings, assaults, robberies, stabbings and deaths all of which bore headlines such as "Arrests after girl, 11, shot", "Loyalists blamed for pipe bomb attacks", "Shots linked to feud", "Armed robbery at restaurant", "Man injured after attack by gang", and "Man wounded in shooting". The list continues. There is little doubt that over the past few years Coleraine has had more than its fair share of paramilitary and non-sectarian incidents. People have the right to live peacefully, walk safely and sleep securely in their homes. Those rights are basic in other democracies. Here, however, they elude too many people too much of the time.

What should be the response to those incidents and threats? I have a couple of suggestions to make. First, murderous sectarian attacks, for example, pipe bombings, shootings and beatings, are often carried out because the narrow-minded perpetrators justify their actions as being carried out on behalf of their community. Those actions resonate with their superficial sense of justice. Much good work is going on in Coleraine, as in other towns in the Province, to try to break down the community fences that have been reinforced over many years. Young people from both traditions must learn that their violent actions are self-defeating and purposeless, serving only to destroy their own community. They must get to know the "other side", and make it a friend rather than an enemy.

Secondly, in both sectarian and non-sectarian attacks the culprits feel little fear. Their attitude appears to be "chances are we will get away with it, so what have we got to lose?" The Assembly must restore to the minds of criminals the realisation that justice will eventually catch up with them. The wider community has always had a large part to play in that. Support for the police is vital, and everyone must be encouraged to tell them what they know about a crime. Furthermore, the police must be active on the ground and be seen to be so. That restores a community's confidence in law and order and gives a sense of security, both of which are now at a low ebb. Attacks on homes and on people are to be condemned outright. Criminals, thugs and the paramilitaries must learn the difference between right and wrong and should be punished accordingly.

I am pleased to say that Coleraine remains a pleasant place in which to live and work. Many problems are not unique to the town, or, indeed, to the Province. That is no excuse for ignoring the trauma that families experience after an attack. Nor is it an excuse for not finding adequate solutions to the problems that we face. Members must endeavour to play a part, to find ways to resolve the intractable problems that are associated with narrow-minded bigotry - the attacks on homes, the pipe bombings and shootings and the senseless, thuggish behaviour that is endemic in a mindless few. Unfortunately, it is a continuing task. However, for evil to succeed it requires men and women of good will to do nothing. I and other elected representatives in the area pledge ourselves to continue the work of reconciliation.

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I join the two Members in universal and unequivocal condemnation of the acts of violence in the Coleraine area.

Two basic underlying themes should be the cornerstone of our approach to acts of violence, from any source. They should be the cornerstone from the beginning of what is euphemistically called "our troubles" to date, and in the future.

One cornerstone, which is apparent today, is that there should be absolute condemnation of, and unequivocal opposition to, violence. For my party and myself, that has always been the case. I am thankful that it has been the case for most in our society for 30 years. However, it has not always been the case with some in our society, as some have declined to condemn acts of violence.

To merely condemn the violence is, however, insufficient. Some have refused to condemn it, and continue to do so. Some condemn violence, but go no further. The two principles are unequivocal condemnation and support for all the institutions that try to bring to justice those responsible for the violence. That has not always been the case either.

Across Northern Ireland - and in some parts of Coleraine, but, I am thankful to say, not too many - there has almost been a pick-and-choose mentality towards those two fundamental themes. I hope that those two principles will soon be cornerstones for everyone. I hope that one day soon we will not only unequivocally condemn violence, but unequivocally support the police and other institutions that are responsible for bringing the perpetrators of violence to justice.

I have outlined my approach to the violence in Coleraine. Two of my East Londonderry Colleagues, Mr McClarty and Mr Dallat, mentioned that many of the incidents have left families bewildered, angry, concerned and fearful. As the Member of Parliament for the area, I have had cause to visit many of the families to try to be of assistance, as have other Assembly Members and local councillors. It is difficult to help at those times, because people want an assurance that such incidents will not happen again. It is difficult for public representatives to give that assurance.

It is only when the two cornerstones are in place, and everyone, from all sections of the community, is united in condemning violence, and equally united in supporting the forces of law and order to bring people to justice, that some confidence can be given to the victims that their nightmare might be nearing an end.

Further to my general point and my expression of support for the families who had to suffer the attacks, I will make an analysis of the current problem. It would be much easier to simply condemn the attacks, to ask everyone to support the police in pursuing the people responsible and to leave it at that. If I did that, there would undoubtedly be knowing nods not only from all around the Chamber but from those who subsequently read the comments in Hansard. However, I would be doing myself an injustice if I left it at that.

In 2002 in Coleraine, as in other areas, there is frustration in parts of the community that police numbers have been so affected by the implementation of the Patten Report that violence is much more difficult to detect. It is felt that it is much more difficult to apprehend the criminals because of the Patten Report, because police stations are under threat and because police numbers are being reduced.

Many people in the Coleraine area and across Northern Ireland are at a loss to understand how on the one hand there is public hand-wringing and condemnation of violence, while on the other there is support for the reduction in the numbers of police who are trying to deal with that violence. We must therefore examine ways to beef up the numbers of available personnel and to provide more resources for the police to ensure that criminal activities cease.

Other Members referred in various ways to some of those activities. Many attacks have been nakedly sectarian. Some have been against innocent Catholics, some against innocent Protestants. Others have been nothing to do with religion at all. The last couple of weeks saw the first anniversary of the death of an elderly man whose murder in Coleraine town centre appeared to be the result of mindless violence with no religious or political overtones whatsoever. There have been attacks on a variety of people in the Coleraine area for a multiplicity of reasons.

However, the environment and atmosphere created not only in Coleraine but across Northern Ireland by political institutions that command neither the consent nor the support of the Unionist community leave a breeding ground for violence in parts of that community that I and others have to combat. We have to pressurise, lobby, argue and persuade people that the way to address those issues is by the democratic route and not through violence, its promotion or its support. That becomes increasingly difficult when every opportunity has been taken to make the point to the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister, the Secretary of State, or to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, that we need a system of government in Northern Ireland that we can all support, and they have simply dismissed that and have said that they will proceed with the Belfast Agreement.

It is more and more difficult to reason and argue with elements of the Unionist community and to tell them that the democratic route is the only way to make changes to the system. Unfortunately, that means that the difficult task must continue. I will not be dissuaded. I will argue, lobby, campaign, persuade and pressurise every element in my community that is open to persuasion to ensure that in this Assembly, in local councils and districts, in Westminster and anywhere else a forum is available to establish a properly accountable system of government with proper consent and support in our community. It will not be achieved by throwing pipe bombs or by carrying out acts of violence. That is reprehensible; it should be condemned and it must cease. I hope that it will.

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Mr Campbell's analysis of what has happened in Coleraine and other parts of the community is hard to reconcile. He said that the violence occurred because there was no democracy. I find his attitude, particularly towards recent events in Coleraine, ambivalent, ambiguous and, in that context, inappropriate for an elected representative. He chooses to call it the Loyalist community or the Unionist community, but it is not the Loyalist community or the Unionist community in its entirety. Those in that community who are responsible for the attacks are those who continue to oppose the concept, ideas and democracy of the Good Friday Agreement. The last Member who spoke suggested that those who attacked innocent Catholics and Nationalists were motivated by their opposition to the Good Friday Agreement. That is unacceptable.

Built into that is a sectarianism that has nothing to do with the Good Friday Agreement. It has nothing to do with the issues that the last Member raised. He said that over the past 30 years his party attempted to reduce sectarian tensions; we know the contrary to be the case. It has used the long spoon to sup with Loyalist paramilitaries from his community.

As Mr Dallat knows, sectarianism does not affect Coleraine alone. It exists in south Derry also.

Mr Kelly, I must remind you that the wording of the Adjournment debate is specific. It refers to attacks on families in Coleraine. Irrespective of which side of the House, I advise you not to deviate from that.

The previous Member to speak strayed a remarkable distance from the issue of attacks in Coleraine. However, these attacks are endemic in Coleraine and in other parts of our society. Surely, the cornerstone of any society is a policing service that enjoys the confidence of all people. It is interesting that the previous Member to speak attributes many of the problems to the implementation of the Patten Report. Does he agree with the Patten Report, or does he think that it has not fulfilled the expectations intended of it?

Attacks that are motivated by sectarianism, wherever they occur, are to be condemned. Attacks on people in their homes because of their religion, whether Catholic or Protestant, are to be condemned. The ethos of political ambiguity and political ambivalence that create the climate in which such attacks are given credence must also be condemned.

I assumed that the previous Member would have been the last person to speak about political violence, given his party's position.

I had not intended to speak on this subject today - I had not thought much about it. However, it seems in order that I do.

I categorically condemn all attacks on anyone in Coleraine, from wherever they come. I have always condemned such attacks and I always will. No one has the right to attack anyone else or their property. Mr Dallat said that the pipe-bomb attacks in Coleraine were carried out by Loyalists. I do not know whether the perpetrators were Loyalists. It is interesting that Mr Dallat, who supported the referendum and the Belfast Agreement at the last election, supported the so-called peace process with three Loyalists who also backed the agreement and the referendum. If he now says that those so-called Loyalists are attacking Roman Catholic people in Coleraine, something must have happened to have caused them to move so far apart.

I was amused to hear David McClarty's diatribe on how this process has damaged Coleraine. He also supported the Belfast Agreement. Like Mr Dallat, he stood up in Coleraine town hall and did his utmost to put down the RUC. I was there. Mr Dallat spoke briefly to attack the RUC, saying that they should be disbanded. He then left the meeting. David McClarty stayed on at the meeting and was very supportive of the agreement. He also said that there should be a change in the police force. I would have no difficulty with a change in the police force, provided that it were an improvement.

Those people worked together in the so-called peace process. Today, they criticise the many people in the Coleraine area who have tried their best to achieve the peace that everyone is talking about. Not much has been said about the Protestant people in the Coleraine area who have suffered attacks over the past 30 years.

I know that we are not supposed to move away from the subject of attacks in Coleraine, but the person who was injured in Magilligan last week has many relatives in Coleraine. No mention has been made of him and of how his life has been destroyed. Nor has any mention been made of the way in which one of the Members for East Londonderry, John Dallat, used the RUC for his protection over the past 30 years. Many Roman Catholics were protected by the RUC and other security forces, and they should be very careful - [Interruption].

Mr Douglas, I caution you about deviating from the subject of the debate. The debate concerns attacks in Coleraine, and is not an opportunity for an attack on Mr Dallat.

I am not attacking Mr Dallat in particular. We must remember that these people benefited from the protection of the security forces, who did their best to ensure the well-being of everyone in East Londonderry, which includes Coleraine.

If we, as public representatives, are to work together for the peace that everyone talks about, we must be careful what we say in the future. We must continue to work together if we are to achieve peace in Coleraine and elsewhere. As public representatives, we need to ensure the continuity of the process. We cannot simply use opportunities such as this one to attack individuals because the proper system has not been put in place. I agree that we should always support fully the security forces. We should all have done that for the past 30 years.

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