Seven years after the
loyalist blockade of a north Belfast primary
school the mother of one former pupil will today
take her legal challenge over police handling of
the 12- week Holy Cross protest to the law
lords.
The House of Lords will hear the case of the
mother known as E whose daughter attended Holy
Cross Primary School during the loyalist
blockade which made headlines around the world
in the autumn of 2001.
Solicitors representing the mother will argue
police handling of the blockade and the failure
of the then RUC chief constable Sir Ronnie
Flanagan to properly protect parents and
children during the loyalist protest was a
breech of the Human Rights Act.
The case is being taken to the House of Lords
after the Northern Ireland appeal court rejected
claims of police negligence.
Holy Cross parish priest Fr Aidan Troy, who
accompanied the children on the route to school
each day during the protest, will travel to
Westminster to give a submission on behalf of
the mother.
At the time of the dispute E’s daughter was
seven-years-old and a primary three pupil at the
Ardoyne school.
She says her child suffered considerably and is
still receiving counselling as a result of the
long-running dispute.
“In the end I had to move home and leave north
Belfast altogether because of death threats, my
child’s personality completely changed, she is
still getting help because of that,” she said.
“While this happened seven years ago I feel it’s
still very relevant today.
“I was told that I was going to get a bullet in
my head while an RUC man stood listening and yet
no arrests were made.
“The RUC didn’t protect us and some mornings
actually kept us waiting at the bottom of the
road to give the loyalists a chance to get out
of bed and assemble,” she claimed.
“Children were spat on, urine thrown over them
and on the third morning a pipe bomb thrown at
us.
“They held up pornographic images and shouted
filthy abuse and all the while the RUC in riot
gear stood with their guns facing us, treating
the children as the aggressors rather than the
protesters.
“I would be hopeful that the House of Lords
would uphold our case but if not I’m willing to
take this all the way to Europe as what happened
at Holy Cross is something that should never be
allowed to happen again.”
Fearghal Shiels of Madden and Finucane
solicitors, who is representing the mother at
the House of Lords appeal, said the case
challenged the RUC decision to police the walk
to school as though it were a “contentious
parade”.
“The RUC erected large screens on the Ardoyne
Road, but rather than utilise those screens to
protect children, they in fact physically
exposed them to a relentless onslaught of
sectarian violence from protesters, committing
serious criminal offences in full view of
police.
“The RUC have never advanced any explanation for
its actions, which have resulted in long-term
psychological damage to the children,” said Mr
Shiels.
