Housewives appeal to I.R.A.

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32902, 28 April 1972, Page 9

Housewives appeal to I.R.A.

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

LONDONDERRY, April 27.

Roman Catholic housewives living in one of the most dangerous streets in Northern Ireland have urged the outlawed Irish Republican Army to stop shooting at British soldiers.

A delegation of 22 women from the Creggan Estate, a Roman Catholic stronghold which is in the hands of the 1.R.A., called at the gunmen’s local headquarters and appealed to them not to use their homes as cover.

The housewives all live in Demesne Avenue, overlooking the Bligh’s Lane Army post, which has come under almost daily attack from LILA, guerrillas. One end of the street is known as “sniper’s corner.” According to one of the women, the I.R.A. said that they would try not to shoot from the area again. “Believe me, most people in the Creggan Estate want peace,” a member of the delegation told reporters last night. This was the second time in a month that Roman Catholic women living in

“flashpoint” areas have called for a truce. A similar appeal was made by a group of housewives in Belfast’s Andersonstown district.

Another 10 political detainees were released in Northern Ireland yesterday.

It took to 143 the number freed since Britain assumed direct rule of the province last month and pledged to phase out internment without trial. There was also renewed speculation that Britain was about to lift the ban on protest marches and grant an amnesty for Roman Catholic leaders such as Miss Bernadette Devlin who face sixmonth gaol terms for defying the ban. The Northern Ireland administrator (Mr William Whitelaw), who has won praise from British newspapers and politicians for the way he has been handling his new job, yesterday turned his attention to one of the province’s other problems—unemployment. He told a trade union meeting outside Belfast that people must be persuaded that if they wanted work, the violence must end. Northern Ireland has the worst unemployment in the United Kingdom, more than 9 per cent of the working population being unemployed. The province was relatively quiet yesterday and early today an Army spokesman described the situation as “remarkably peaceful.” One soldier was killed and two injured when an Army lorry overturned near Armagh, south-west of Belfast, last night. An Army spokesman said that the lorry flipped over after swerving to avoid stones thrown by youths. Local residents told reporters that no stones were thrown.