Tension mounts over attacks on Fountain Estate

In the latest reported incident on February 16, two youths entered the Fountain and proceeded to smash up a car. When chase was given by youths from the area, one of those being chased turned around and pulled a knife.

Whilst petrol and paint bombs, bricks and stones have flown both ways from the Fountain/Bishop Street interface over the years, the introduction of a weapon such a knife into the equation, Fountain residents fear, represents a serious upping of the ante.

Police attended the scene of the latest incident and a spokeswoman for the PSNI said: "Police are making enquiries following a report of two youths acting suspiciously in the Fountain on Wednesday night, February 16. It was reported that one of the youths was carrying a knife. Police are also investigating damage caused to a car parked nearby. A 16-year-old male was arrested and subsequently released pending further enquiries."

Fears are now rife within the Fountain that someone from either community will lose their life if the trouble continues to increase. It was for this reason that a selection of community representatives invited the Sentinel into the estate to air their views on the current situation.

All of those present readily admitted that retaliatory attacks from within the estate are as equally abhorrent as those committed against the estate. Three teenagers aged, 14, 15 and 16 were arrested in the Fountain area this month in connection with several attacks on taxis, on February 13. Three vehicles were damaged when bricks and other missiles were thrown from the top of Bishop's Gate and from Bishop's Street.

However, since the beginning of 2010, residents of the Fountain have catalogued a list of 14 attacks on the district. These have led to a palpable sense of tension and indeed weariness.

List of attacks

The first of the attacks was recorded on New Year's Day. Residents say that from 11pm until 5am on January 1 a barrage of bottles and other missiles were hurled over the interface fence.Police were notified of the incident.

On January 5, the Cathedral Youth Club (CYC) was attacked with four petrol bombs and two paint bombs. One petrol bomb was thrown across at a house opposite the youth club and a petrol bomb was thrown through a window of a house in Aubrey Street and set the living room on fire. Photographic evidence of the scorch marks on the CYC taken in the aftermath of the attack clearly illustrate how the bombs were aimed at the upper storey windows of the premises and the intention was to burn the building down. Police were notified of the incident.

On January 15 an attack on a house in George's Street resulted in a man sustaining cuts to his head when bricks were thrown through his window. Again, police were notified of the incident.

At around 7.30pm on January 19 a house in Henry Street had its front window smashed by youths who came up Wapping Lane and carried out the attack. The PSNI were notified.

Five days later, on January 24, a gang of youths came into the Fountain and attacked a number of properties along Kennedy Place, Henry Street and George Street. Five doors were beaten in and a number of other residents reported that their doors were also attacked. Three more residents reported that their cars were damaged.

Next night, January 25, a group of youths entered the Fountain via Wapping Lane around midnight, threw stones and shouted abuse. Police were not notified on this occasion.

On January 27, Mr William Temple's car windscreen was smashed by a gang when they came into the area at around 7.30pm. A firework was also thrown up Wapping Lane at around 9.30pm. Police were notified.

At 3am on January 29, a mural inside the Fountain was attacked by a nationalist gang who entered the estate via New Gate. Republican graffiti was also put on walls in Fountain Street and Hawkin Street.

On January 30 at around 8.20pm, paint bombs were hurled at another mural in the estate. Three young people were seen carrying out the vandalism. Police were notified of this incident.

On February 7, nationalist youths gathered at the bottom of Wapping Lane and began to throw stones and shouted abuse. No damage was caused to property at this time. Police were not notified.

At 10.45pm on February 12, a young man from the Fountain returning home from the Waterside came under attack from a gang of six youths in the Abercorn Road area. They made their way towards Wapping Lane and threw a bottle and stones, cutting the young man's head. Police were not informed of this incident.

Victim speaks

The young man injured in this incident, and who did not wish to be identified, spoke to the Sentinel: "It was fairly quiet up until around two months ago when this all started up again.

"I was coming back from a darts match in the Waterside when one of them chucked a vodka bottle and what seemed to be thin, sharp stones. One hit me and cut my head."

The young man also highlighted other instances when he was attacked.

"I was walking over Foyle Street on one occasion when I was pulled into the car park at Foyleside and beaten up. These weren't youngsters that did this, but grown men," he said.

Depressingly, twelve years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the young man cannot envisage a time when sectarian difficulties will be resolved.

He said: "It can never be solved. It will never be sorted out in Northern Ireland. Many have tried and many have failed. I don't see any hope for the future. Some may grow out of it, but then we have the next generation coming into it.

"I can't see the day when Protestant and Catholic will walk down the street together. The first kicking I got was when I was 15 walking from a shop in Carlisle Road back into the Fountain. I have had about four of five beatings, which isn't that much. I know people who get targeted almost every weekend.

"The worst for me however, was when I was 14 my grandmother was abused when she was going to collect a prescription in Abercorn Road. She was about 64 then and they spat on her."

On Saturday, February 13, Bishop Street was closed off all night because of a suspect device there. The bomb scare, which turned out not to be a suspicious device, was cleared at 9am. The Bishop Street entrance to the Fountain was closed until 1pm because of a dissident republican protest outside the courthouse. Fountain residents claim the Bishop Street entrance was only opened again after talks with a PSNI inspector. Some Fountain residents claimed they were harassed by dissident republican protestors.

Jeanette Warke

Jeanette Warke, founder of the Cathedral Youth Club (CYC) told the Sentinel: "The fact that people are coming in now and carrying knives has definitely upped the ante. Even more worryingly they are coming right into the heart of the Fountain now.

"In terms of closing the gate from Bishop Street when they feel like it, it makes people in here feel like second class citizens. Then people have to walk the whole way around. Enough is enough."

Speaking about her work within the Youth Club Jeanette contended that visitors to the area say they can't believe the conditions in the estate. Jeanette also stressed that the CYC also provides developmental, cross-border and cross-community education programmes as well as youth work.

"Young Catholic visitors in particular express horror that the Fountain is hemmed in and that people cannot at times get out. There are no play facilities and it is every child's right to play. A multi-usage games area is now with the planning service and should hopefully go ahead soon.

"It is a minority of nationalists doing this. People come from all over the city to do things like creative writing. One 64-year-old woman from Creggan told me for example that she had never put her foot in the Fountain before in her life. She thought it was a disgrace how people here were being treated. Another thing we have started is 'Footsteps through the Fountain' which highlights 22 steps of historical interest for everyone through the area."

Maurice Devenney

Also present at the meeting was DUP Alderman, Maurice Devenney who told the Sentinel: "Young people in here feel under siege every night. There are serious concerns about people's health and safety and I would appeal for these attacks to stop.

"I feel there needs to be a different response as well from Sinn Fin who say every time that there are attacks that the community in the Fountain needs to sort themselves out. But what about them sorting their community out and getting these attacks stopped?

"There is a lot of good work going on inside the Fountain to keep young people busy and out of trouble," he said.

Whilst there is an admission that attacks are not just one way, there is genuine feeling that it cannot be allowed to continue and thereby ruin the estate for older people.

Maurice Devenney said: "We don't want to build a wall around the estate, we are not looking to exclude Catholic people, but neither can we get to the stage where someone is lying on a pavement with a knife sticking out of them, we don't want coffins coming through the estate.

"I was coming from a meeting in the Memorial Hall one evening not too long ago when a group, mostly young girls, started shouting 'Orange scum, Orange ba----ds and Tiocfaidh ar la. I doubt they would even know what that means.

"We keep hearing about a 'shared city' - nothing is shared with young people in the Fountain. I receive so many calls into my office, even about how primary school children are being abused."

William Temple

Lifelong Fountain resident, William Temple pointed out that the older streets in the Fountain such as George Street and Aubrey Street are only now approximately 50 per cent occupied.

"We have been asking for people to sort this out since 2001. We produced a full report at that stage highlighting the difficulties in the Fountain, but it was never actioned," said William.

The Fountain man also believes that attacks on the estate are entirely premeditated and can start as early as 4pm and continue into the early hours of the morning.

"They are accessing all parts of the Fountain now. Some of them have brought ladders to access certain point and if you doing that, the attacks are planned. People are lying in bed at 4am awake wondering if their windows are going to come in. A solution could be a gate at the bottom of Wapping Lane. It may be better to be hemmed in rather and be sure of a night's sleep."

Mr Temple pinpoints the escalation of the attacks in recent years as having started in January 2002 and having increased and decreased in intensity ever since. He also firmly believes that the sectarian difficulties are a generational issue.

"People who are over 55 can meet up anywhere including the Gasyard and many other places," he said.

William also contends that the PSNI need to have a greater visibility within the estate and is convinced that arrests and subsequent prosecutions for attacks will only take place if police conduct 'covert' operations within the estate by using officers in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles.

PSNI

The escalation of attacks since the beginning of 2010 is all in all a worrying factor for residents in the area - all the more so since the estate normally braces itself for a rise in incidences in the approach to the marching season. The fact that so many incidents have already taken place so early in the year has served to already raise tension levels to a much higher level than normal.

Big Brother house

A damning comment came from CYC youth worker, Graham Warke, who said: "The kids in here call the Fountain, the 'Big Brother house', because they feel they are being constantly watched," he said.