The situation in Northern Ireland was described yesterday as "hugely dangerous" by Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams. Speaking about the repercussions of the violence at Drumcree, Mr Adams said the RUC had been tolerating road and street barricades, and that there were ongoing attacks on Catholic homes.
He was responding to questions from journalists after meeting the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, at Government Buildings in Dublin.
He said civic unionism, the churches, the business community and the community sector "need to raise their voices and need to stand up and be neighbourly about their Catholic neighbours" who were very frightened.
Describing the situation as the "current mass form of intimidation" by elements of the Orange Order and others, Mr Adams said it was not even about marching, whether on the Lower Ormeau or on Garvaghy Road, but was "a pitch against the changes that are being slowly brought about".
He said he requested the meeting with the Taoiseach to review progress since May 5th and to go over some of the commitments made by the British government. He said he was satisfied with the discussions. Referring to the three men wearing balaclavas, led by former UDA prisoner Johnny Adair, who fired a volley of shots in the air at Corcrain estate in Portadown on Monday night, Mr Adams asked how many people had been arrested after the incident.
"We know that Breandan Mac Cionnaith was arrested on Garvaghy Road. How many people have been arrested around their barriers, street barricades, road blockages, and this easy movement of a UFF group, back and forth, and promising to go back again?" he asked.
All of this, he believed, not only raised the temperature in the North but opened up the possibility of "some unfortunate being in the wrong place at the wrong time and driving into a road-block or being picked up by some of these people. I think that the Orange Order cannot, distance itself from responsibility from all of this".
Asked who he felt was to blame for organising the protests, Mr Adams said there had been a time, which thankfully was changing, when all of unionism refused to accept there was a right to equality.
Increasingly, elements of unionism were accepting that concept but, particularly with the current situation, there were elements, with the DUP in the leadership, who were fermenting trouble.
"They are members or supporters or fellow travellers of the DUP and of course the UFF section is the naked face of DUPism without the mohair suits and the clerical collars. So I think the responsibility rests absolutely and clearly with that reactionary element of unionism which so far will not accept that there is going to be change, it cannot be stopped and they will have to accept the right of people to equality."