PARISHIONERS in Harryville, Co Antrim, expressed fury on Saturday night as over 50 British trade unionists with "anti Tory" banners took part in anti loyalist demonstrations outside Our Lady's Catholic Church.
Alderman P.J. McEvoy, a parishioner and SDLP councillor, accused the trade unionists of trying to hijack the situation for their own political ends.
"This is not a time for their politics, when people are trying to get to Mass," he said. The Unison shop stewards, from London, Manchester and Middlesex, further angered the parishioners by marching with unfurled banners to the church past the loyalist pickets.
Mrs Nuala O'Loane said they were making the situation worse by marching to the church. "It's wrong and we didn't invite them. They should not be in our church grounds with posters saying `Fight the Tories', this has got nothing to do with fighting the Tories."
Mr McEvoy, who was attending Saturday night Mass, said it was wrong to bring a political demonstration into church grounds.
A Unison shop steward at Middlesex Hospital, Mr John Quinn, said: "We came here to show our solidarity with the Catholics in Ballymena. We are totally opposed to bigotry in all its forms. But this is a political issue. There is no getting away from the fact that the Tory government is deliberately trying to divide people in the North."
A United Against Bigotry group organiser, Mr Colm Bryce, who invited the trade unionists, said: "We are very sorry if we have caused any offence to any of the parishioners."