NI police board member seeks street demos

A police board member today made a call for street demonstrations to oppose dissident republicans threatening Catholic representatives…

A police board member today made a call for street demonstrations to oppose dissident republicans threatening Catholic representatives of district policing partnerships in Northern Ireland.

The call followed a new security alert outside the home of a member in Strabane, Co Tyrone. Several families close to the house of Ms Ann Bell had to be evacuated. A suspect device was later declared a hoax.

A car belonging to her daughter had been destroyed earlier in an arson attack.

Mrs Bell pledged today she would never give in to the threats. She added: "Everybody should get to the streets to tell these people they are 100 per cent behind us."

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Just hours before the latest alert, police in Strabane had warned Catholics sitting on the town's policing board that they were being targeted by republicans opposed to the peace process.

The "Real IRA" is behind the campaign of victimisation and intimidation that has forced the resignation of two members in Fermanagh and Tyrone.

PA