Crowe visits the Short Strand in Belfast

Dublin South West TD, Seán Crowe, visited the Short Strand on Friday, along with his Sinn Féin colleagues, Mary Lou McDonald TD and Pearse Doherty TD.

Crowe, who is also a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, visited the Short Strand to talk to people in the community and hear first-hand about the recent attacks on their community from violent loyalist groups.

Speaking after the visit Deputy Crowe said:

“Firstly I want to thank the Short Strand residents for meeting us and telling us their unique stories.

“A lot of the coverage of the recent violence in Belfast has been one-sided and simplistic. The mainstream media have failed to allow the people in this nationalist enclave in East Belfast share their experiences of the recent violence.

“Politicians North and South cannot ignore these residents and the violent sectarian attacks that they have been victims off in recent weeks.

“Many of the victims of this violence are elderly. One couple we visited, who are in their 80s, told us of the nightly attacks on their home and one incident in which 40 petrol bombs were thrown at their house in the space of a couple of hours.

“The issue of sectarianism is not one which can be swept under the carpet, it needs to be challenged head-on, and the best way to do it is by cross-community action. The stories of the Short Strand residents must be reported and heard.

“Equality and mutual respect needs to be at the core of building a shared society across the island of Ireland.

“The loyalist rioting needs to stop and there needs to be collective action from across society to push ahead with peace and reconciliation work throughout the North.”

Seán Crowe, visiting the Short Strand with Pearse Doherty TD and Mary Lou McDonald TD