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Over recent months the Marching Band community has encountered an alarming
increase in orchestrated, violent, sectarian attacks on their members and
their modes of transport.
The Ulster Bands Association has stood alone in highlighting these
attacks while others have attempted to brush such incidents under the
carpet and label them as mere adolescent vandalism. At approximately
11.15pm on Saturday evening another Marching Band was subject to an
extremely vicious assault after passing through Hilltown, Co.Down. As
the band from Markethill returned from a parade in Newcastle, a white
saloon style car followed and overtook the bus and stopped ahead. The
occupants then threw a number of bricks and other objects at the bus. At
least one brick went through one window and exited another. Thankfully
no one was struck by any of the missiles however nine of the passengers,
many of which were women and children were cut by pieces of glass.
Other vehicles travelling on the road had a fortunate escape. The bus
then immediately went to Newry and the attack was reported to the police.
Not only was this an unprovoked sectarian attack on band members and their
families, it was a case of unjustifiable vandalism on the company of
Ulsterbus, who provide a service to the WHOLE community. This incident
must be clearly seen for what it was, a vicious assault by Nationalist
thugs blinded by bigotry and visibly determined to injure ANY Protestant
who has the audacity to openly express their cultural identity through
membership of a Marching Band. The Ulster Bands Association would call
on all those elected representatives to exert whatever influence they may
have so that such sectarian attacks against Protestants does not occur
again.
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