Six to appear in court in connection with Holy Cross dispute

Six people have been charged with public order offences in connection with the ongoing loyalist protest outside a Catholic school in north Belfast.

It is understood police, who had originally arrested eight men, have charged six, released one and are still questioning the eighth. The six charged will appear at Belfast Magistrate’s Court on Thursday September 20.

The men, who had been arrested on Wednesday morning, were being questioned about public order offences arising from the demonstrations outside the Holy Cross Catholic Girls’ Primary School.

Protestant residents from the Glenbryn area of north Belfast have been protesting for three weeks about alleged attacks on their homes.

Security forces have had to escort pupils and their parents every day past protestors to and from the primary school, which is situated in a Protestant area of Ardoyne.

In an effort to try and resolve the situation, parents of children at the school met with Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid. After the meeting, held on Tuesday 18 September, the parents said no solution to the dispute had been found. Last week residents from the protestant Glenbryn estate met with Dr Reid but expressed similar sentiments.

As part of an initiative to ease tensions the Social Development minister Maurice Morrow announced plans for a £8.7 million housing development in the Glenbryn area. At the development launch in Belfast Castle he said: “Over the past 30 years, north Belfast has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. While it is clear that addressing housing needs will not solve the multiple social problems which exist, the provision of good quality housing is essential in improving the life of those experiencing social deprivation.”

However, Sinn Féin assembly for north Belfast, Gerry Kelly, has criticised the multi-million pound regeneration. He has maintained the £8.7 million investment will be “perceived as a reward for bigotry”.

He added: “The perception will be that Glenbryn is going to benefit from a £8.7 million urban renewal scheme, as a result of the sectarian blockade of the young schoolgirls going to Holy Cross Primary School.” (AMcE)