DAILY NEWS

Belfast Boys’ Brigade parade subjected to sectarian abuse

Photo above – DUP councillor Brian Kingston – a former Lord Mayor of Belfast – condemned the incident.

On Sunday morning last a parade, composed mostly of primary school age boys – some as young as six years old – left St John’s C of I church on Belfast’s Stewartstown Road yesterday morning to walk the 200 yards past Woodbourne PSNI station to the Suffolk housing estate.

But as police stopped traffic to allow the children’s parade to pass, drivers honked their horns and revved their engines, with some motorists winding down their car windows to shout abuse at the little boys, a parent told the Belfast Telegraph. “It was disgusting, just disgusting,” furious dad Steve Bradshaw said.

“People need to grow up. These are just little children. The noise and the yelling was really frightening for them. One wee nipper was in tears, and one mother was distraught.

“And when the wee parade drew level with the Glider stop outside Woodbourne PSNI station, one guy waiting for the bus just started shouting abuse at the kids.

“Other people at the bus stop tried to stop him, but he wasn’t having it.

“The man who was yelling abuse just got on the Glider when it arrived, and away he went.”

DUP councillor Brian Kingston – a former Lord Mayor of Belfast – condemned the incident.

“I will be raising what happened with the PSNI. The whole of the short procession took place outside the largest PSNI station in west Belfast, but I’m not at all happy with the way the PSNI have handled things.”

Attempts were made to contact the PSNI.

Account above is based on a Belfast Telegraph report


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