Envelopes containing bullets were mailed to assembly members of political parties Sinn Fein and the Alliance Party at Stormont, Northern Ireland’s legislative assembly. The threats are the latest development in a string of loyalist street violence since Stormont’s vote to decrease the number of days they would fly the Union Jack.
Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, which represents the Catholic minority, said envelopes with bullets had been mailed to two of its Stormont assembly members. Envelopes were sent to Gerry Kelly, who helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, and Alex Maskey, the first member of Sinn Fein to serve as Belfast’s Lord Mayor in 2002.
The cross-community Alliance Party said three of its members received letters with bullets. Envelopes were mailed to party leader David Ford, East Belfast MP Naomi Long, and local councillor Gerardine Mulvenna. Alliance Party offices have been burned in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim. Ms Long and Mr Kelly have received death threats.
BreakingNews.ie reported a spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said, “Police are currently dealing with a number of suspicious packages which have been located in the [mailroom] at Stormont.”
An assembly spokesperson added, “A package was delivered to Parliament Buildings on Wednesday and intercepted by security staff. In line with standard procedures, the package has been passed to the PSNI.”
Ford, who received one of the envelopes, told the BBC, “Every individual in political life needs to examine what they are doing, the words that they are using and whether the things that they are saying could be contributing to creating this difficult atmosphere. People are now taking action way beyond anything that may have been expected to arise from a democratic decision of a local council.”
Following the recent vote to decrease the number of days the Union Jack flies over Stormont, there has been a string of attacks against public representatives. The number of days to fly the flag has been reduced from 365 to 18 official days. The vote set off loyalist violence and roadblocks, which are still up and negatively impacting trading in Belfast during the Christmas rush. More than 40 police officers have been injured in the three weeks since the vote.
Stormont First Minister and Democratic Unionist leader Peter Robinson and Ulster Unionist leader Michael Nesbitt plan to set up a forum to discuss concerns over flying the Union Jack, as well as other loyalist concerns. The first meeting could be before Christmas, but will more likely be sometime early in the new year.
The violence comes after a recent census in Northern Ireland showing a narrowing gap between Catholic and Protestant populations. Protestant population had decreased to 48% whereas Catholic population had increased to 45% since the 2001 census. Only 40% of Northern Ireland’s population identified themselves as British only and experts say the dwindling gap between Catholic and Protestant will lead to a major political change in the future.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seanomelb | Dec 22, 2012, 05:35 PM EST
sending bullets in the post is a favourite pastime of orange bigots not even footballers or coaches are safe from these lowlifes.
aloistmartin | Dec 22, 2012, 02:33 PM EST
canadianirish@ Not in Quebec, anyway ?
lcobryan | Dec 21, 2012, 07:03 PM EST
No mention of this on BBC NI links just: The Public Prosecution Service is seeking a retrial in the case of three Ballymena men whose convictions were recently quashed for the 2006 murder of teenager Michael McIlveen. 3 unionists being released for killing a catholic child.
RedBranch | Dec 21, 2012, 11:50 AM EST
Sounds to me like they were just trying to do a bit of decommissioning!
IrelandNorth | Dec 21, 2012, 05:54 AM EST
There's an interesting quantitative correlation between qualitative religious affiliation and national identity in the most recent tranch of Northern Ireland Statistical Research Agency (NISRA) Household Survey, 2011 returns. If 48% of NI populace profess Protestantism and 40% identify themselves as British only, could that not mean that 8% of [Roman] Catholics consider themselves other than generically Irish (ie ROI/NI)? If 45% are [Roman?] Catholic and 46% are Irish/Northern Irish only, are 1% of generic Irish (ie ROI/NI) something other than than orthodox Christian? More importantly, if British identity and Protestantism are in rapid decline in NI in this the 9th year countdown towards the centenary of partition in our decade of centenaries, what rate will they be at in 2022? Would it not be better to sue for amalgamation?
canadianirish | Dec 20, 2012, 09:22 PM EST
Granted, I may be an outsider looking in but would it not make sense to fly both the tricolour AND the Union jack?
anglo-norman | Dec 20, 2012, 09:14 PM EST
How stupid these people are & cowardly
merefalow | Dec 20, 2012, 06:04 PM EST
you just dont get it do you,how the hell do you ever justify your occupation of ireland and believe you have a god given right to something that was never and never will be yours by any right.Now when there is a peace deal on the table which most sane people in northern ireland wish to adere to,but you want it back to the days of blood and gore.i sincerly hope that there are enough people of common sense and goodwill to make the peace work for the benefit of all people and the bloody past stays past.
seanomelb | Dec 20, 2012, 04:46 PM EST
The last three poters are ridiculously ignorant. The bullets wer sent by orange bigots just call a spade a spade fools.
ePHraimAg | Dec 20, 2012, 01:53 PM EST
There are some thing in this World that are not Open for a Democracy. They are the Heritages Of Our Fathers who also laid their lives Down upon many Field sOf the last 2 World Wars. They did not Die under a Tricolour. @AloisMartin... These guys are not the IRA... and there is nothing worst than someone who is a Nationalist who takes The Crowns Money and then Kills Women and Children practicing Genocide. Bien sùr, You are not Of Ireland and You do not Know are Childrens Children. @FastEddy... Yes, Gun control would be exceptable if You can stop the so called American Irish supplying Arms and Money to Noraid and the IRA. The People in the North, maybe still in the Majority Protestant do not Have Guns ... but if they ever did get armaments.. they would assuredly Make DrogHeda(A.D. 1690) look like a Campfire.
aloistmartin | Dec 20, 2012, 01:04 PM EST
These Guy`s Are As Bad As Those " Real I.R.A. " Ruffians :)
FastEddy | Dec 20, 2012, 11:09 AM EST
Perhaps Ireland should have a ban on guns? How is that working out?