Dad's terror after taking son's name from bonfire

dlofnep

Irish News 13/07/07

A Catholic man who has been threatened by loyalist paramilitaries after removing the name of his dead son from an Eleventh Night bonfire has barricaded his home and sent his children to safe houses.

Peter Neil was informed of the threat by police after he removed a large banner from a bonfire at Harpur’s Hill in Coleraine, Co Derry.

It bore the name of his 13-year-old son Aaron, who died from heart disease two weeks ago. It also bore the name of another Catholic youth, Paddy Brennan, who died last year, along with the question: “Who’s next?”

Mr Neil said he saw the banner on Tuesday. He said he asked police to remove the offending message but was told this would involve liaison with community leaders.

“I didn’t want the banner burned. I didn’t want a couple of hundred people all standing around this bonfire all cheering over my son’s death,” he said.

Mr Neil said his son was not sectarian or political.

“Aaron’s girlfriend was a Protestant from a loyalist area, Windyhall. The day before Aaron died we played a football tournament in Windyhall,” he said.

“I think they singled out Aaron just to shove one into the nationalist community.”

When police indicated that the banner might not be removed immediately Mr Neil said he and some friends removed it themselves.

Known loyalists later began driving past his house and police informed him officially of a paramilitary threat.

“Police said: ‘Loyalist paramilitaries said you took down items from a bonfire in Coleraine and you are going to be subjected to some form of attack,’” he said.

Mr Neil said it was ridiculous that his dead son’s name had been put on a bonfire and that he should be threatened for removing it.

“The loyalist threat is so unreal. They want to hurt me because I took down that disgusting thing from their bonfire. If they were any sort of people at all, if they were parents with children, I’m sure they would think that shouldn’t have been up there in the first place.”

Mr Neil said that on Tuesday night a large number of known paramilitaries had to be held back by police when they gathered close to his first-floor flat wielding sledge hammers and ladders.

“I am worried. I have all sorts of barricades up against my door. I’ve put my children away to different houses, to safe houses,” he said.

Police last night said they were dismayed that anyone would use Aaron’s death to raise community tensions.

A spokesman said police checked the Harpur’s Hill site but nothing was found.

However, officers later removed “similar items” bearing Aaron’s name from bonfires at Harpur’s Hill and Ballysally

Poor man just wanted to defend his son's name and he's now in fear for his own security?

biko

Police said: ‘Loyalist paramilitaries said you took down items from a bonfire in Coleraine and you are going to be subjected to some form of attack,’” he said.

Now how the the peelers find that out?

Duggy747

And that's why I'll welcome the Love Ulster parade with open arms! *cough*

dlofnep

Not trying to start a hate campaign here, but it is a disgusting situation to put a man in after he's lost his child.

DarkJager

Its about time somebody started putting these loyalist scumbags on the bonfire. Burn the ****ing lot of them.

smashey

But it has been tradition for four hundred years to burn names. :rolleyes:

Thrill

They're just a bunch of hateful bigots who dont give a toss about people's feelings. To hell with them.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

ciaran76

Thats just pure scum.

Cabaal

thrill wrote:

They're just a bunch of hateful bigots who dont give a toss about people's feelings. To hell with them.

While I'm sure its not all of them, it is certainly a big group of them and its sad that they give everyone a bad name

Reku

Duggy747 wrote:

And that's why I'll welcome the Love Ulster parade with open arms! *cough*

Yup, definitely shows that the loyalists are now the big trouble makers up north (down south too if they get the parade go-ahead again:mad: ).

Duggy747

I was already pissed off at the scumbags after seeing the news a few days ago. They showed the bonfire and you could see a big Tricolour flag on the side and then a smaller one on a pole sitting at the top. That's one thing but for a parent to see their deceased child's name on it ready to burn is certainly pulling the piss. And then they come down to our capital waving THEIR flags and banners looking for recognition and respect???

Hmmmmm *wanders off to ponder the meaningless of it all*

azezil

It bore the name of his 13-year-old son Aaron, who died from heart disease two weeks ago. It also bore the name of another Catholic youth, Paddy Brennan, who died last year, along with the question: “Who’s next?”

This is the part I'm confused about, is it the loyalists saying "who shall we kill next" ?

DarkJager

If loyalists (regardless of how many of them cause the trouble) want to act like this, then why should we welcome any of their parades or other crap that they want to bring to the republic? Maybe we should play them at their own game and start burning the names of dead loyalists and the union jack on bonfires down here?

Mushy

Thats sick and disgusting. Mostly I try and leave these sort of things alone, but this is ridiculous. He removed a banner FFS, nothing more. Wait till its one of their own that die, then burn a banner with that persons name on it...see how they like it? ALthough they'd probably go on about the unjustness of it all that the police didnt do anything:rolleyes:

0ubliette

Duggy747 wrote:

I was already pissed off at the scumbags after seeing the news a few days ago. They showed the bonfire and you could see a big Tricolour flag on the side and then a smaller one on a pole sitting at the top. And then they come down to our capital waving THEIR flags and banners looking for recognition and respect???

Hmmmmm *wanders off to ponder the meaningless of it all*

Yeah i saw that on the news too.
I couldnt believe it tho, as the news report was concerned with the fact that the smoke from tyres was going to affect residents, and not once was it mentioned that there were 2 tricolours being burnt. They're hatemongering scum, they should be ****ing ashamed of themselves.

DarkJager

But the problem is they won't be ashamed of their actions. If it was the reverse, as Mushy said, they'd go on about predjudice and the usual ****. I'd go as far to say that if somebody offered me a button that would wipe every single loyalist off the face of the earth, I'd push it without a second thought.

dlofnep

azezil wrote:

This is the part I'm confused about, is it the loyalists saying "who shall we kill next" ?

Well they didn't kill the boy, but I think they are getting enjoyment out of Catholics dieing and are asking who's next to die. It's utterly disgraceful.

Not to mention Willie Frazier, the guy who's running this supposed "love ulster" campaign has links to these loyalist paramilitaries.. And while it's fine for all them to put an dead innocent child's name on a bonfire up there.. They are allowed to come to our capital and fly a foreign flag, and beat their drum to the tune of loyalist policies.

If this march was about victims - I don't think anyone of us would have a problem, but it's not. It's just a slap in the face to us to say "Hey, we can get away with this ****e up there, and we'll come down there with it too and you have to accept it - otherwise you're intolerant to loyalists"..

Duggy747

0ubliette wrote:

Yeah i saw that on the news too.
I couldnt believe it tho, as the news report was concerned with the fact that the smoke from tyres was going to affect residents

Yea actually since you mention it. People were more bothered about the "effect on global warming" it would induce yadda yadda yadda. I suppose burning our flag must be boring, yet we see plenty of pissed-off mussies burning flags.

DarkJager wrote:

if somebody offered me a button that would wipe every single loyalist off the face of the earth, I'd push it without a second thought.

I'd push it without a first.

P.S. Mystery Science Theater 3000 0ubliette on yer sig, ha! I completely forgot about that show, I used to watch it religiously!

Fratton Fred

I find it very difficult to understand this amount of hatred. What makes these people tick?

Degsy

Bunch of drunken,inbred criminal bigots.They've no place in modern society,they should build a big wall around these areas and leave them inside it to rot.

Erin Go Brath

Mushy wrote:

Thats sick and disgusting. Mostly I try and leave these sort of things alone, but this is ridiculous. He removed a banner FFS, nothing more. Wait till its one of their own that die, then burn a banner with that persons name on it...see how they like it? ALthough they'd probably go on about the unjustness of it all that the police didnt do anything:rolleyes:

Exactly, if the shoe was on the other foot and it was some protestants kids name burning in a bonfire we'd see how they react. The loyalists from what i can see are the scum of the earth. No respect for anyone, hate-mongers. No way this would ever happen in a civilised state like the 26 Counties. Just hope this poor man can get on with his life after this.

joe_chicken

Degsy wrote:

They've no place in modern society

This is exactly the problem.

They can't live in a society without hatred, it's all they know. They are looking to provoke, and in that provocation give them an excuse to return to what they know: causing fear and intimidation.

They are nothing without these.

joe_chicken

Erin Go Brath wrote:

Exactly, if the shoe was on the other foot and it was some protestants kids name burning in a bonfire we'd see how they react. The loyalists from what i can see are the scum of the earth. No respect for anyone, hate-mongers. No way this would ever happen in a civilised state like the 26 Counties. Just hope this poor man can get on with his life after this.

I think you should be careful with your words.

a) Whether it was a slip of the keyboard or a slip of the mind, you have tarred all Loyalists with the same brush.

b) You are suggesting that the North is not a civilised state.

These are exactly the kind of reactions that these people are looking for.

DarkJager

a) Loyalists are not doing anything to un-tar themselves e.g they are not speaking out against this kind of behaviour.

b) You call a place where they burn the names of dead children on a bonfire civilised??

jester77

Wow, what is up with these people burning the national flag and peoples names. If they are not happy living in Ireland why don't these just piss off to where they would be happy and let everyone else live in peace.

Zebra3

Mr Neil said that on Tuesday night a large number of known paramilitaries had to be held back by police when they gathered close to his first-floor flat wielding sledge hammers and ladders.

Why didn't the RUC/PSNI arrest them? :rolleyes:

ejmaztec

smashey wrote:

But it has been tradition for four hundred years to burn names. :rolleyes:

I think that they are making up their "traditions" as they go along. I heard a couple of nights ago that it has been a long-standing "tradition" to burn tyres. Not only are they morons. they're also out to destroy the environment.

Anyone who wears a bowler hat and has a long-dead non-English speaking Dutch hero - must be certifiable.

Erin Go Brath

joe_chicken wrote:

I think you should be careful with your words.

a) Whether it was a slip of the keyboard or a slip of the mind, you have tarred all Loyalists with the same brush.

b) You are suggesting that the North is not a civilised state.

These are exactly the kind of reactions that these people are looking for.

a) They shouldnt be all tarred with the same brush. Agreed. It does seem like quite a number of them are scumbags. Whether they've been brought up with it or otherwise. They certainly don't seem to have evolved.

b) Yep, the North is not a civilised state. You've picked me up right. How can it be with this sort of stuff going on. Two tribes constantly bickering, a corrupt police force, Army presence around the state. Not my definition of a civilised state.

joe_chicken

DarkJager wrote:

b) You call a place where they burn the names of dead children on a bonfire civilised??

Yes. Small hateful gestures like this, do not define the civility of a nation.

dlofnep

joe_chicken wrote:

Yes. Small hateful gestures like this, do not define the civility of a nation.

It was a pretty big gesture. But I agree, alot of the North is civil. But there are some VERY uncivilised areas.

Reku

joe_chicken wrote:

This is exactly the problem.

They can't live in a society without hatred, it's all they know. They are looking to provoke, and in that provocation give them an excuse to return to what they know: causing fear and intimidation.

They are nothing without these.

I think this sums up their behaviour the last few years quite well, stirring things up in the hopes of returning to what they knew as the way things work; Prod Vs. Cath and Loyalist Vs. Nationist
Once again I restate my wish that we could just disconnect NI from the ROI and let them drift out to sea to rule/anahilate themselves, have nothing more to do with the whole mess that the north seems to be.

Degsy

Does anybody remember Joy in The Hood when Des bishop went to live ina few deprived areas and set up a comedy workshop?The catholic area was rundown,poor and had a bit of a community spirit going on with very little recourse to sectarianism(in spite of Bishop's stirring it up).The loyalist area on the other hand were seething with hatred for the "fenians",it was pretty much all they talked about,the "comedians" he trained ALL made jokes about "Taigs" and at one stage he was called a "fcukin fenian bastard" by a heckler.These people dont know what the **** they want,all they know is that they hate catholics,they'll never be taught otherwise,hatred has been bred into them.

Gone West

Cheering while burning flags on bonfires, especially those with dead Catholic children on it is a very barbaric thing to do.
The people who engage in this kind of display are your typical out of work, dogmatically ignorant, base minded, cans-of-lager swilling, shaven-head, tatoo'd louts who make up the lowest unfortunate echelon of our society.

Hagar

It has to be a genetic flaw, hatred like that, I don't think I'll ever understand the British psyche.

Agamemnon

Hagar wrote:

It has to be a genetic flaw, hatred like that, I don't think I'll ever understand the British psyche.

In fairness, the British of England, Scotland and Wales would be as disgusted by this as the rest of us. Loyalism lives in its own demented little world, impervious to the norms of modern civilisation. The vermin who did this are barely human at all. And burning the tricolour - :rolleyes: - grow the f*ck up, scumbags.

Caliden

Duggy747 wrote:

And that's why I'll welcome the Love Ulster parade with open arms! *cough*

Arms filled with bricks with the writing "if you can read this then it's about to hit your skull" on them?

admiralofthefleet

typical loyalist filth, animals would behave better, wonder what willie frazer would have to say about it

Duggy747

Caliden wrote:

Arms filled with bricks with the writing "if you can read this then it's about to hit your skull" on them?

*scribbles idea down on notepad* No, no, not at all! *cough*

Funny if we were to burn the Orange flags and banners and whatnot we'd be labelled as racist, intolerant paddies who don't care for anyone. The media would be over us like a rash and the fúcktards up north would be sitting in their chairs revelling in all the shít that they have stirred!

Tchocky

Ugh, nasty stuff.

I'm guessing the attitude was nothing to do with the banner, this guy came in to our bonfire and is messing with our stuff

etc

Morlar

Tchocky wrote:

Ugh, nasty stuff.

I'm guessing the attitude was nothing to do with the banner, this guy came in to our bonfire and is messing with our stuff

etc

Kind of not sure I follow this . . ?

nice1franko

Degsy wrote:

...The loyalist area on the other hand were seething with hatred for the "fenians...

I've had an eye opening experience with some loyalist bloke before.

He heard my accent and start giving it all this you fúcking fenian scum bastard I'll fúckin slaughter ye yis are all a shower of dirty ugly taig bastards, yie should wiped out.

I'd never even set eyes on him before! I was shocked, baffled and a bit petrified to be honest. (I think I'd have been able to batter him if he came for me but what if I didn't? he'd have fought to the death - like my da says; 'dont wrestle with a chimney sweep') . It's the stupidiest thing I think I've ever seen.

But seething is the word mister degsy. It was pure seething hatred.

They're pitbulls trained to fight and that's that. I don't think there's hope for anyone - of any ideology - like that. They're well and truly brainwashed.

It's fúcking depressing.

Stabshauptmann

How dare he deface our traditions!

Scum of the earth.

crybaby

Depressing is the only word for it, a group with sledgehammers gathering at a flat to assault someone and not one of them is arrested, sounds reasonable

smashey

crybaby wrote:

A group with sledgehammers gathering at a flat to assault someone and not one of them is arrested, sounds reasonable

Welcome to NI. Strange also that although it is "ILLEGAL" to burn tyres, numerous bonfires with loads of tyres were on public display for up to a week before being lit. Nobody in authority tried to take the tyres down or put a stop to it.

Hagar

It's beyond me how he was able to remove the banner.
They guard their bonfires 24 hours a day up there until they are lit, so how did he get near it?

Just in case you're wondering why they guard their bonfires, it's because of a quaint old custom of putting Calor Gas cylinders in your neighbours' bonfires.

WindSock

I'm confused. What do they mean by 'who's next' from a 13 year old boy dying of heart disease? What are they burning his name for?

Morlar

boreds wrote:

What are they burning his name for?

To celebrate that there is one less catholic. Probably worth pointing out that the people who put together a bonfire is not just one or two its a lot of people, and if the locals objected they could surely have the name removed. Its reasonable to presume that a large number of the community would either support that and cheer it on or have no problem with the sentiment whatsoever.

WindSock

Wow. I find it hard to believe that a whole community of people would be as inhumane to do something like this. If it is true, God help us all.

pbsuxok1znja4r

Degsy wrote:

they'll never be taught otherwise,hatred has been bred into them.

Exactly. They're born into this kind of mentality. Passed on from their fathers or mothers or older siblings. Or just their neighbours. There's nothing anything one can do about it really, except attempt to bring about the extinction of their class. Those people will of course all die sooner or later, but their class won't necessarily.

A Dub in Glasgo

I am surprised that people are surprised at this. It has been going on with impunity for decades