Lister truce ends: seven dead

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32965, 11 July 1972, Page 13

Lister truce ends: seven dead

X.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

BELFAST, July 10.

A precarious two-week peace in Northern Ireland lay shattered today with seven persons dead after a night of shooting and bombing rekindled fears of civil war in the battle-scarred British province.

A Roman Catholic priest and a 13-year*old girl were among the victims after an announcement in Dublin by’ the Provisional Wing of the Irish Republican Army that it was ending its truce and resuming hostilities against British forces “with utmost ferocitv.”

The Army said that it had definitely killed one gunman and hit eight others. Both sides blamed the other for the renewed violence, which grew out of attempts by about 2000 Roman Catholics to move 16 families into a predominantly Protestant Leandoon housing estate in western Belfast yesterday. A fierce gun battle developed as British troops moved to block off the Roman Catholics and fired C.S. gas and rubber bullets at the crowd.

Shortly afterward came the announcement from Dublin that the cease-fire effected 13 days ago was over.

The announcement said: “The truce between the Irish Republican Army and the British occupation forces was broken without warning by the British forces at approximately 5 p.m. today at Lenadoon estate in Belfast. “Accordingly all I.R.A. units have been ordered to resume offensive action. A detailed statement will be issued later.” Within minutes an Army post in Belfast’s Springfield Road came under heavy attack from machine-guns and rifles. Army denial The Army denied it had broken the truce in any way and declared that it had started shooting only after it was fired on by snipers. A statement from Mr William Whitelaw, the British Government’s Administrator for Northern Ireland, added that the shooting at the estate “was clearly set up by the I.R.A. to try to provide justification for a resumption of terror avtivity.” Most British newspapers today expressed agreement with his contention. Mr Whitelaw, who is credited with bringing about the cease-fire after weeks of talks with Roman Catholic leaders, was flying to Northern Ireland this morning and was expected to press for immediate discussions in a bid to avert further trouble. Another 10 civilians were

■ reported injured in the new violence and the Army said that five of its men were injured by shooting, two seriously, and another 10 by stoning before the shooting broke out. In addition, one soldier was in a serious condition after being struck on the head with a golf club at Lenadoon. The Roman Catholic priest, 50-year-old the Rev. Noel Fitzpatrick, was killed by gunfire in the Ballmurphy district as he was administering the last rites to another person who was shot. He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. All over Belfast The shooting spread to areas all over Belfast and was punctuated by bomb blasts, including two which went off

[shortly after the cease-fire was declared ended. There were also six explosions in Londonderry and then early this morning another three bombs exploded in Belfast. No injuries were reported from the explosions. Before issuing its statement from Dublin, the Provisional I.R.A. said earlier: “The truce is broken. The truce which we have fought so far to maintain was today breached on a number of occasions. “During the last 48 hours we have negotiated with the office of the Secretary of State to endeavour to reach a solution of the homeless problem that has arisen as a result of the U.D.A. (Ulster Defence Association) intimidation.

“In spite of hours of talks, and in spite of the fact that we withdrew on two occasions, the British forces of the Crown bowed their knee to the pressure of the sinister U.D.A. and refused to permit the families who have been legally allocated houses in Horn Drive into their homes.

“The occupation forces opened up on crowds of civilians with rubber bullets and tear-gas, injuring many of them, some children, Our people have become targets for the British Army aggression,” the statement said. Previous attempts The Roman Catholics had tried on Friday and Saturday to move their families into the Lenadoon homes, which they maintained they had been promised after being forced from another area because of Protestant intimidation. Protestants on each occasion gathered to resist them and the Army negotiated a hold-off operation with Republican leaders. But when a third deadline of yesterday afternoon for getting the families moved in expired, the Roman Catholic crowds tried to force their way through the opposing British troops. Then the shootting started. The former Northern Ireland Prime Minister (Mr Brian Faulkner) said that the I.R.A. move to end its ceasefire was not unexpected. Mr Gerry Fitt, leader of the predominantly Roman Catholic Social Democratic and Labour Party in the defunct Northern Parliament called it "a very tragic development.” Miss Devlin’s view Miss Bernadette Devlin, Northern Ireland member of Parliament said the Provisionals had played into the hands of the Army and the U.D.A. by calling the ceasefire. “The Catholic community may within the next few days and weeks need defending from concerted sectarian and bloody attack,” she said. A spokesman for Vanguard, another Protestant grouping, said: “We are very close to civil war. It could be in the morning.”