Sinn Fein
11-02-2007, 07:29 PM
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has branded those responsible for a series of paintbomb attacks on a Presbyterian Church within the Walls as an "embarrassment to the city" and an "affront" to those who took part in the civil rights campaign.
Mr. McGuinness made the comments after meeting with Rev David Latimer from First Derry Presbyterian Church to discuss the attacks on the building, the most recent of which happened last weekend.
The meeting came about after Mr. Latimer appealed to Martin McGuinness to use his influence in the local community in an attempt to end the spate of vandalism attacks on the eighteenth century building.
Mr. McGuinness said he believes that young people from the Bogside are responsible for the attacks. "It is a tiny number of young people who in all probability come from the Bogside. The overwhelming majority of the people of the Bogside would be opposed to the activities of these young people and I wanted to make that clear to Rev Latimer.
"This is the city where the civil rights campaign began and the desecration which has been happened at this place of worship - because that is what these attacks are - stands in complete opposition to what the people of this city campaigned for. The civil rights campaign was about securing civil and religious rights for all.
"What has happened at this church is nothing but an affront to all of those people from this city who marched for those rights in the past. It is my hope that these young people responsible will see what they are doing is in those terms and stop. Hopefully they will realise that they are an embarrassment to this city and all its residents; Catholic, Protestant and dissenter," he said.
Rev Latimer welcomed the meeting with the Deputy First Minister and described it as 'groundbreaking'. "Not too long ago we would not have been able to meet and talk like this so this is groundbreaking stuff. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Deputy First Minister for coming to the church and I hope it will send out a clear message to the young people responsible that they do not have any support," he said.
Mr. McGuinness made the comments after meeting with Rev David Latimer from First Derry Presbyterian Church to discuss the attacks on the building, the most recent of which happened last weekend.
The meeting came about after Mr. Latimer appealed to Martin McGuinness to use his influence in the local community in an attempt to end the spate of vandalism attacks on the eighteenth century building.
Mr. McGuinness said he believes that young people from the Bogside are responsible for the attacks. "It is a tiny number of young people who in all probability come from the Bogside. The overwhelming majority of the people of the Bogside would be opposed to the activities of these young people and I wanted to make that clear to Rev Latimer.
"This is the city where the civil rights campaign began and the desecration which has been happened at this place of worship - because that is what these attacks are - stands in complete opposition to what the people of this city campaigned for. The civil rights campaign was about securing civil and religious rights for all.
"What has happened at this church is nothing but an affront to all of those people from this city who marched for those rights in the past. It is my hope that these young people responsible will see what they are doing is in those terms and stop. Hopefully they will realise that they are an embarrassment to this city and all its residents; Catholic, Protestant and dissenter," he said.
Rev Latimer welcomed the meeting with the Deputy First Minister and described it as 'groundbreaking'. "Not too long ago we would not have been able to meet and talk like this so this is groundbreaking stuff. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Deputy First Minister for coming to the church and I hope it will send out a clear message to the young people responsible that they do not have any support," he said.