Tensions have been simmering in a cluster of Co Antrim towns and villages after attacks on churches and halls ahead of the Twelfth. Rebecca Black spent the day in the area and found many residents too frightened to speak about the trouble of recent days

A series of tit for tat attacks on churches and community halls have been taking place all week around Ballymena, Cullybackey, Ahoghill and Portglenone.

While residents were too frightened to speak out yesterday, community halls and churches bore the stains of the simmering sectarianism across the area with the slogan “Huns Out” scrawled over the wall of an Orange hall in Glarryford near Ballymena, while the equivalent insult “Taigs Out” was painted on the wall of the Catholic Church hall in Harryville.

In Rasharkin, broken glass and stones were swept up by Housing Executive staff at a deserted house where a Protestant family were forced to flee last week after a string of attacks.

There have also been reports of Catholic families leaving nearby Ahoghill in recent years because of intimidation.

Members of a woman’s community group in Rasharkin said local people were too scared of what could happen at the weekend, ahead of Monday’s Twelfth celebrations, to speak out.

“It is just a shame that this is all happening, it is not good for community relations in the area,” said the woman, who did not wish to be named.

“Local people do not want it. It is bad for property prices in the area, bad for local businesses and particularly bad for elderly people who are too scared to go out after dark now.”

A short distance from the village a defiant group of teenagers stood guarding the remains of their smouldering bonfire.

“Two cars of nationalists from Rasharkin drove past earlier yelling “Orange bastards” at us. They threw a petrol bomb on the bonfire pile and it went up,” said one of the boys.

“They are just trying to wreck our bonfire but we have more supplies coming later, we will not let them ruin it for us on Saturday.”

It was a similar story in Ballymena, where two petrol bombs were thrown at a bonfire on the Cullybackey Road link in Ahoghill at around 1.30am on Friday morning, while around three hours later another bonfire on the Galgorm Road was lit.

Police arrested three men and two women who last night were still in custody.

In Dunloy, an Orange hall became the latest community hall to be attacked when it was smeared with green paint in the early hours of yesterday morning.

It followed a paint bomb attack on a GAA mural just metres away in the village on Thursday,

The words “Get Out” were daubed on a back wall of the Orange Hall.

Ballymoney DUP councillor and worshipful master of Dunloy Loyal Orange Lodge 496, John Finlay, called for no retribution.

“This is the third attack on this hall in six days and is clearly in retaliation for attacks carried out in the north Antrim area on Catholic churches and GAA halls on Wednesday night,” he said.

“I call upon people within the unionist and loyalist family not to retaliate.

“I ask the people responsible for such attacks: what do they achieve? The answer is nothing.”

Heightened tensions, sharp divisions

Ballymena is celebrated as the city of seven towers — but yesterday it was more like a divided town of two halves in support of and against the annual Twelfth of July parades.

Brightly decked out with flags and bunting, the appearance of the town belied the underlying tension flowing among the shoppers browsing the busy shopping hub.

One Harryville resident, who did not wish to be named, told the Belfast Telegraph angrily: “The Orange Order should not parade where they are not welcome, that is why there is so much tension in the area and Orange halls are getting attacked — they insist on marching through areas where they are not wanted.”

But Doreen Mooney (28) from Ballymena said despite the recent trouble the Twelfth was still a day she was looking forward to.

“It is just a big day out,” she said.

“Most people do not see a problem with it and I think it is going to pass off peacefully.”

Father of two Michael Todd (30) said he viewed the Twelfth as a “fun, family day out”.

“We go every year, the kids love it,” he said.

“It is a good fun, family day out for us.”

Trevor Hughes (37) from Harryville said he thought it was “sad to see” any place of worship being attacked but emphasised the “vast majority” of people in Ballymena did not support any of the attacks.

“It is just a sinister minority of people behind these attacks,” he said.

“Everybody is happy with the peace process and nobody wants to go back to how things were during the Troubles.”

Edward Brown (37) from Ballymena said he “wasn’t too fussed” about the parades but there was tension in the area.

“To be honest the only reason I go out to watch them is because my partner’s family is involved,” he said.

“There is definitely a sense of tension because of the attacks on the halls and churches.”

On the other hand a number of people said they felt the best thing to do was to take a holiday and get out of the area.

Aaron Johnston (29) from Coleraine but who works in Ballymena said he felt people were nervous in the run up to Monday’s parades.

“I know a lot of my friends want to get away to avoid it all. A group of us are all going camping to steer clear,” he said.

“People my age do not want to even go out socialising this weekend.”

Tracey McKee (36) from Ballymena, who was doing some last minute holiday shopping with her young daughter Amy, said she had been away for the Twelfth for the last three years.

“We are going to the Isle of Man to watch my husband in the motorcycle racing,” she said.