PSNI officers slammed for allowing bandmen to assault Catholic man at Ballycastle parade

Sinn Féin has criticised the PSNI operation at a recent parade in Ballycastle and said that a young Catholic man was beaten to and on the ground by a number of bandsmen during the recent 12th demonstration because of police inaction. Cllr Cara McShane said that three police officers stood by whilst the attack took place and did not intervene.

Cllr McShane said

“Whilst a number of commentators and newspapers reported that the Twelfth parade in Ballycastle was trouble free and without incident the reality for people in the town was something quite different.

“The attack in question took place at the end of the Twelfth demonstration in the town at Novally Road. A number of members of the Dervock Young Defenders band actually came off the bus that they had already boarded and launched a vicious assault on the man punching and kicking him on the ground. More sinisterly, a flagpole was used by the band in the assault.

“As the attack was taking place three police officers were located literally a number of yards away and actually stood with their hands in their flak jackets and did not intervene. Indeed as soon as the band members attacked the young man the officers turned away.

“The fact that bands deliberately played both ‘the Sash’ and the ‘Billy Boys’ outside the Diamond reflects the fact that many participants in this parade were only interested in intimidating Catholics living in this town. This behaviour is totally unacceptable."

North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay added

“This type of policing response from these three officers is all too reminiscent of the Robert Hamill case in Portadown, it is old style policing and has no place in today’s society. The real test for the PSNI here in North Antrim is how they will deal with the officers concerned as well as officers in the town, one of whom spoke to a public representative and said that there was no issue with a band playing the Billy Boys outside the Diamond as they were not “singing it”.

“There is a need for the PSNI to ensure that members of the public have confidence in local policing. These recent events will lead to there being less confidence in policing here in Ballycastle, and demonstrates that those who harbour old policing attitudes within the PSNI still feel that they can get away with certain actions and inactions. That in itself reflects a major problem in terms of police discipline. As a first step the PSNI should engage with the victim and his family because they have not afforded him the protection which he should have received from these officers. Secondly the PSNI should investigate the three officers concerned and discipline them accordingly. The nationalist community in this town will be paying detailed attention to how this is dealt with because such officers who come to this town with the attitude that these officers displayed should be ‘out on their ear” as far as members of the public are concerned. Indiscipline and the fact that the PSNI fail to deal with it effectively will only serve to isolate members of the nationalist and republican community from policing.

"We will be meeting the PSNI this week to raise these matters and the party will be raising it through the Policing Board."