McCartney family threatened after friend attacked
A campaign of intimidation by IRA men against the family of murder victim Robert McCartney is intensifying, his sister claimed today.
After a close friend of the dead man was brutally attacked, wives and children of republicans were among a crowd which picketed Mr McCartney’s partner’s home in an attempt to drive her and her children out.
Paula McCartney, whose brother was knifed outside a bar in Belfast last January, said today: “The situation has changed for the worse.”
Police confirmed they are investigating a complaint after father-of-five Jeff Commander, 34, one of Mr McCartney’s closest friends, was left with serious head injuries after being beaten with iron bars and sewer rods.
He was with his wife Sinead walking towards his sister-in-law’s home in the Short Strand district. At one stage a knife was produced by one of up to eight men who confronted him.
Half an hour earlier Mr Commander had tried to calm tempers during an altercation between two men, one of them an associate of the McCartney family, who were among a crowd keeping watch on the the nationalist district as loyalists rioted in neighbouring areas on Monday night.
Later women and children protested outside Bridgeen Hagans’s home, demanding she and her two children, Conlaed, aged five, and Brandon, three, leave. They also called for no police charges against Mr Commander’s attackers.
The house has been picketed before.
Sinn Féin today denied any of their members were involved, but Ms McCartney said she was in no doubt that IRA men were among the gang which beat Mr Commander, even though it and the protest was not sanctioned by the leadership.
Wives and children of IRA men were part of the picket which they threatened to stage nightly, she claimed.
“Obviously these people are trying to beat people into silence,” she said. “They don’t believe in freedom of speech or justice and at the same time have a vested interest in intimidating this family.
“The vast majority of people in this area are disgusted. There has been no let up against the McCartneys. The situation has got worse.”
Mr Commander said he feared for his life. “I could have been beaten to death,” he said. “Robert didn't run. He didn’t do anything wrong and they killed him. What happened to Robert could have happened to me, very easily. I am disgusted.”
One man charged with Mr McCartney’s murder is expected to stand trial next year. A second is accused of attempting to murder a friend who was with him on the night they were attacked outside Magennis’ Bar – a murder which seriously embarrassed the republican leadership, coming just weeks after the IRA was blamed for robbing the Northern Bank of £26.5m (€39.4m).
The Provisionals declared an end to its campaign in July and the International Monitoring Commission which was established to assess the state of the IRA’s ceasefire is due to make a report next month.
Even though the McCartney family accept the beating of Mr Commander and the house picket has not been endorsed by the IRA leadership, evidence that individual members were involved will be a setback in attempts by the republican leadership to convince people they have now distanced themselves from this type of violence.
“Its time for Sinn Féin leaders to show leadership,” Ms McCartney said. “Gerry Adams spoke about how negative unionist leaders had been with the question of loyalist rioting, and I agree with him. But I believe on this issue, their leadership is absent.”
Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said the incidents at Short Strand benefited nobody and he would encourage mediation to deal with “these disputes”.
He added: “Sinn Féin is totally opposed to intimidation of any type, no matter where it comes from, or who it is aimed at. Intimidation is wrong and should not be happening.”
But the SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell said Mr Kelly’s condemnation of the attack on Mr Commander was of little value when local Provos were demanding the expulsion of Ms Hagan and her children.
“Sinn Féin needs to declare right now, today, what side it is going to be on,” he said.
“Is it going to support the family of a victim, the widow and children? Or is it going to stand by local gang bosses?”
