February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Anne Cadwallader
BELFAST — Loyalist violence continued unabated in Northern Ireland during the last week.
On April 19, several Catholic families were forced to move out of their Newtownabbey homes for several hours after a hoax bomb was found in the area.
On April 25, two Ballymurphy men were abducted and beaten by loyalist gang with wood taken from a July Twelfth bonfire in the Village area.
At about the same time, the house of Catholic family in north Belfast was grenade attacked, with the Orange Volunteers admitting responsibility, and a house in south Belfast was petrol-bombed near where loyalist graffiti has recently appeared.
On Tuesday, the RUC arrested a number of men from the Shankill Road about the murder of loyalist Frankie Curry on St. Patrick’s Day. Among those arrested, and later released, was PUP member Winston Churchill Rea, known as "Winkie" Rea.
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Also causing anger in the loyalist camp was a statement from the father of murdered loyalist Billy Wright, who said he’s been denied a meeting with the British government.
David Wright, father of so-called "King Rat" Wright, loyalist mass-murderer and leader of the LVF shot dead by the INLA on Dec. 27, 1997, says his request for a meeting was turned down by a British minister. He has criticized what he calls "selective justice" and says he will continue to campaign for a public inquiry into his son’s death.