Republicans Attack on Newry Orange Hall 'despicable'
A twelfth night attack on Newry Orange hall has left several lodges without their banners, flags and memorabilia and caused "deep hurt" to members of the minority Protestant community in the strongly nationalist area.
A banner belonging to the local Mullaglass lodge and district flags were removed from the Downshire Road hall, while a banner belonging to the Crieve lodge, which carries a portrait of the late Bro. Norman Hanna, a Newry Orangeman and former UDR member murdered by the IRA on 11th March, 1982, was damaged.
On the banner there is a picture of the Late Bro. Norman Hanna, and on the banner it says "Murdered by terrorists 11th March 1982".
The district bannerette of Newry District LOL No 9 was also damaged, as well as items of Orange regalia, lodge memorabilia and furnishings in the hall.
Orange Order officials in Newry, who discovered the break-on on Saturday morning as they gathered to prepare for the Royal Black Institution parade in Scarva, believe entrance to the hall was gained via the roof.
Doors in the kitchen were smashed and one lodge member described things as "a mess" when they arrived on Saturday morning.
The hall was locked up on the Twelfth night after the Newry lodges had returned from the South Down demonstration in Dollingstown, with the banners and flags stored in what was believed to be a safe place. The single-storey Newry hall, which is used as a meeting place for several local lodges and Royal Black preceptories and bands, is secured with high barbed wire fencing.
Newry and Mourne Ulster Unionist councillor and Assembly member Danny Kennedy described the attack as despicable and challenged local Sinn Fein representatives to condemn it.
Mr Kennedy accused republican representatives of stirring up sectarian hatred in the area over the Twelfth period and said the blame for the attack, in part, rested on their shoulders.
"The damage done to Crieve lodge banner, bearing the portrait of the late Norman Hanna, has caused particular hurt and anger to local Orangemen as well as obvious distress to the Hanna family."
Mr Kennedy estimated the damage would run into several thousand pounds, but he said local Orangemen were determined to replace the missing and damaged banners as soon as possible.
He said Sinn Fein would have to accept that the Orange tradition would not be intimidated or driven out of the city of Newry by such actions, and he appealed to the unionist community to remain calm in the face of such republican aggression.
Yesterday afternoon, several hundred members of Newry District LOL No 9 paraded behind their damaged bannerette to the District's anniversary service in St Patrick's Parish Church in the town.
This is only a brief report of the damage caused, This is not counting the damage caused by the assailants gaining entry via the roof, and other articles too numerous to give an accurate account of, which are of sentimental value not to mention the mental trauma of the invasion of privacy which is a greater crime to be inflicted upon the sisters and Brethren of Newry.
The late Bro Norman Hanna was shot dead by the IRA as he arrived for work at Rathfriland Road Newry. He had just left his car where his wife and four year old daughter where sitting when a IRA gunman opened fire from a motorcycle sitting on the pillion passengers seat. Many of the same people are very quick to ask for inquires and justice and demand that their basic human rights not be ignored. But when they shot the Late Bro Norman Hanna he was murdered in cold blood. Norman received no justice or inquiry as the gunman murdered a defenseless man going to his place of employment. The Late Norman Hanna basic human rights were totally ignored by these IRA murderers who now demand their human rights in every court in the land. Since the signing of the Belfast Agreement community relations have steadily worsen as Sinn Fein IRA organised resident groups to oppose the Protestant tradition of parading.
The late Bro Norman Hanna had left the UDR seven years earlier and was an unarmed civilian when these low life scum took his life. An newspaper report at the time reported that his grand parents had also suffered the same fate in 1922 by the IRA as they too were murdered in cold blood also by IRA gunmen. Not a lot has changed from 1922 or even earlier as the mad IRA rabid dog still thrusts for innocent Protestant blood in its unquenchable thirst. Many Protestants are now asking where is the 'Parity of Esteem' offered in the Belfast Agreement to the Protestants of Northern Ireland who suffered at the hands of Sinn Fein/IRA for over thirty years. Only to see terrorists in Government rule over the law abiding democratic people of Northern Ireland. The British Governments policy of appeasement for terrorists will never work and it is time the law was even handed for both Protestant and Roman Catholics.
The Protestants of Northern Ireland have heard the honeycombed words of Sinn Fein/IRA as they tell the World they only want to live in peace with their Protestant neighbours, but as the good book will tell you "you shall know them by their actions" never truer words where spoke. We only have to read the daily newspaper and watch the news on television to listen to report after report of Protestants being shot at, run down by cars mounting the kerbs, Protestant families forced from their homes and streets of generations by Sinn Fein/IRA Columbia World wide terrorists. Who tell the World how peaceful they have become while they ethnically cleanse large areas of Belfast and many other areas in Northern Ireland.
