Posted on 07/27/2005 11:24:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) - Protestant extremists attacked two Roman Catholic-owned pubs and a Catholic family's home Tuesday in Northern Ireland while defacing two Catholic churches, police said.
No injuries were reported in what police called a wave of intimidation attacks in and around Ballymena, a mostly Protestant town northwest of Belfast. Catholic leaders appealed to the area's Protestant politicians to do more to challenge the extremists, who frequently threaten Catholic homes, businesses and churches in the area.
A homemade grenade detonated outside a Catholic family's home, causing minor damage and forcing police to evacuate about a dozen nearby houses in Ballymena, police said. Arsonists badly damaged one Catholic-run pub in the village of Martinstown, while two gasoline-filled bottles caused minor fire damage to the outside of another pub in nearby Rasharkin.
Two Catholic churches in Ballymena were struck by paint-filled balloons and daubed with anti-Catholic slogans, the police said.
Over the past 35 years of intercommunal conflict in Northern Ireland, outlawed Protestant paramilitary groups - chiefly the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force - have threatened Catholics who live in or near Protestant areas.
Together the UDA and UVF killed more than 900 people, mostly Catholics, before jointly calling a 1994 ceasefire. Both groups are supposed to be maintaining that ceasefire in support of Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord but have repeatedly breached the truce.
Sounds like Terrorism to me.
I know their problem is with Transubstantiation, right?
You really think that's helpful?
I am sorry but Christians of all stripes should be above this.
Bastards! Atackin' a pub!
It wouldn't shock me if it turns out the IRA or some splinter faction was behind this. The best evidence that it was the Protestants is that there weren't a dozen or so innocent folks killed. Catholic attacks are generally more violent.
I meant to draw attention to how ridiculous it is for the media to continue describing a political conflict as a religious one.
"Now let's see how long it takes for the "experts" to come on this thread and make their inane comments"
"It wouldn't shock me if it turns out the IRA or some splinter faction was behind this. The best evidence that it was the Protestants is that there weren't a dozen or so innocent folks killed. Catholic attacks are generally more violent."
wow, that took all of 40 seconds to happen!
Yea, on slow days us dumb Catholic Irish just go out and blow up our own churches and if anyone happens to be in them...well that's just too bad.
Your logic would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic!
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Good grief. What are you thinking?
It's always the Catholic's fault maybe even the Pope's. Will Blair condemn this? Don't hold your breath.
I agree completely. Sorry I misunderstood.
The idiots are fighting the wrong enemy.
Number of incidents where 10 or more people killed, 1970-1998. Catholics 12, Protestants 3.
Largest number in a single incident - Catholics - Market Street, Omagh, 31. (Pro-abortion Catholics can reduce that number to 29, since 2 were unborn babies).
Catholics have killed roughly twice as many people as have the loyalists.
| Organisation | Total Killings | Protestant | Catholic | Not from NI |
| IRA | 1696 (49%) | 790 | 338 | 568 |
| UVF | 396 (11%) | 89 | 265 | 42 |
| British Army | 299 (9%) | 32 | 258 | 9 |
| (unknown loyalist) | 212 (6%) | 50 | 212 | 7 |
| UFF | 149 (4%) | 17 | 132 | 0 |
| INLA | 110 (3%) | 55 | 33 | 22 |
| UDA | 102 (3%) | 41 | 58 | 3 |
| (unknown) | 77 | 27 | 42 | 8 |
| RUC | 56 | 9 | 44 | 3 |
| Official IRA | 51 | 7 | 24 | 20 |
Ugh.
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