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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8077704.stm
By Mark Simpson
BBC Ireland correspondent
Of all the words uttered in the wake of the killing of Catholic father-of-four Kevin McDaid, it is the remarks made by his parish priest which are, arguably, the most disturbing.
Rather than diplomatically ignore the circumstances which surrounded the death of the 49-year-old Coleraine community worker, Fr Charles Keaney tackled them head-on at the funeral Mass.
Listening were republican and nationalist politicians, including Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
There was no sign of any prominent unionist politicians at the funeral.
Whatever the reasons for them not being there, they will have since heard the outspoken words used in the funeral address on local radio and TV news bulletins.
The remarks gave politicians - on all sides - much to ponder.
Police described the killing as sectarian. In the sacred surroundings of St John's Catholic Church in Coleraine, Fr Keaney delivered his own verdict.
"It was primitive evil," he said.
What he went on to say about community relations in parts of Coleraine was blunt and stark.
He said: "Scratch beneath the veneer of normality and you will find a people with tired hopes, dull love and broken trust.
"A place where bitter mindless acts of violence and murder can be tolerated or excused even by a minority."
He added: "Unless we put the prejudices of the past behind us and increase our efforts to work together, then this could happen again."
Those are chilling words, coming as they do after almost 20 years of a peace process in Northern Ireland.
There is clearly much more work to be done, on both sides of the divide.
The family of Mr McDaid was visited last week by Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson, the leader of the largest unionist party, the DUP.
The fact that hardline unionists are sharing power with republicans from Sinn Fein at Stormont sends out a message to communities that working together is the way forward.
However, it seems that in some areas, people are not listening.
In Northern Ireland, sectarianism is a wound which is very slow to heal.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2009/06/01 15:23:18 GMT
© BBC MMIX
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/01/sectarian-loyalist-violence-ireland-mcdaid
Henry McDonald
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 1 June 2009 20.19 BST
Ninety per cent of religious hate crimes in Northern Ireland remain unsolved, according to an analysis of police figures. The data, which emerged as the latest victim of sectarian violence was buried today , also show that such incidents are on the rise, despite the power-sharing agreement in Stormont.
At a requiem mass for Kevin McDaid, a Catholic youth worker beaten to death by a loyalist mob, a priest told mourners the killing was a "primitive and premeditated evil". Father Charles Keaney warned it could happen again unless people could "put aside the prejudices of the past".
Dr Peter Shirlow, the leading expert on sectarian attitudes in Northern Ireland, has analysed the latest police data on attacks and intimidation where the victim's religion has been the key factor.
The figures show that in 2007-2008, 1,584 sectarian incidents were reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In 2008-2009, sectarian-motivated attacks and intimidation rose to 1,595. Only 10% of religious hate crimes reported to the PSNI were solved, Shirlow said. He said the figures showed there were at least three sectarian incidents every day.
Commenting on McDaid's murder on 24 May, the Queen's University Belfast academic said: "It's all very well for politicians in the Northern Ireland assembly to condemn [such] murders . But there is no serious attempt to tackle sectarianism at its roots. No one is challenging the people as to why some of them are sectarian. And no serious effort is being made to encourage communities to confront the issue of why there is still so much sectarian division in our society.
"If you listen to unionist politicians during this European election campaign, all they talk about is more money for Protestant areas. They emphasise only one community instead of talking about a shared, united society. So if politicians are fighting a resource war for their rival communities then it's no wonder those communities still the other side as the enemy."
Hundreds of mourners, including Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, attended St John's church in Coleraine, Co Derry, for McDaid's funeral service. But no senior unionist politician attended.
Fr Keaney described the father of four as a "peacemaker" and said what had happened to him had nothing to do with religion. "Retaliation of any kind would dishonour the memory of Kevin," he said.
The Northern Ireland police ombudsman's office is investigating allegations made at the weekend that a police officer sent a mobile phone text to Coleraine loyalists saying that local Catholics had put up an Irish tricolour on the estate where McDaid lived. There were claims that the police officer's text prompted a loyalist gang to organise an "invasion" of the Heights area of Coleraine, which ended with McDaid being beaten to death and his neighbour, Damian Fleming, in hospital on a life support machine.
Northern Ireland's community relations council said the McDaid murder underscored the need to tackle structural sectarianism. Duncan Morrow, the council's chief executive, said: "Fifteen years into a peace process, we still think in terms of 'us and 'them', even in politics, and some people still think that acting out this hatred is heroic. All it takes is someone in another small town to act on this logic and trust starts to weaken everywhere."
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/trade-unionists-to-stage-antisectarian-rally-in-northern-ireland-14322042.html
Monday, 1 June 2009
Trade unionists in Northern Ireland said today that they will hold a public rally tomorrow against sectarianism.
The Belfast City Hall event has been organised to show solidarity with the family and friends of Catholic man Kevin McDaid, beaten to death by a loyalist mob in Coleraine, Co Londonderry.
As Mr McDaid was buried today, the event's organisers said the Belfast vigil was in the same spirit as a similar rally organised two months ago to protest against the dissident republican murders of two soldiers and a police officer.
The rally has been organised for 12.30pm tomorrow by Belfast Community Workers in memory of Mr McDaid who had also worked to build bridges between the Protestant and Catholic communities.
In March the Real IRA shot soldiers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar outside the Massereene Army base in Co Antrim.
Within days, the Continuity IRA shot Police Service of Northern Ireland officer Stephen Carroll in Craigavon, Co Armagh.
Trade unionists organised rallies against the murders.
Late last year they also protested when dissident republican groups threatened community workers co-operating with police.
The Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (NIC-ICTU) confirmed today that it will support the vigil in support of the family, friends and colleagues of Mr McDaid.
The group said: "The support of the NIC-ICTU is in the spirit of the rally organised last November in defence of all community workers facing threats from Continuity IRA, the rally organised last March to show opposition to the murder of two soldiers and a police officer, and the trade union rally organised last Friday by Derry Trades Council and the NIC-ICTU to condemn the murder of Mr McDaid and the ongoing sectarian incidents around the Fountain area of that city."
The group called on workers to attend the rally in a collective show of opposition to all acts of sectarianism.
Updated: 10/4/2009
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