Misguided element (Derry Journal)

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EDITORIAL
2 February 2010

IT'S INCREASINGLY obvious that there is a small, yet, at the same time, misguided element in Derry that is determined to stoke up sectarian tensions at the Abercorn Road/Fountain interface in Derry.

Sporadic clashes and regular incidents of vandalism at the flashpoint on the edge of the city centre are a particularly depressing feature of modern day life in Derry.

It is important that responsible figures on both sides of the community do everything in their power to reduce the tensions that all too often come to the surface.

Regardless of who's responsible for starting the trouble - and it is clear that there are malign influences on both sides - clashes of this nature cannot be tolerated.

While such incidents are relatively rare in Derry, they still cause untold damage to the image of the city.

A particularly saddening aspect of the clashes is that schoolchildren are often involved.

Just as political and community leaders have a role to play in reducing community tensions, parents also have a key responsibility - particularly if their children are returning home smelling of petrol fumes or covered in paint.

Of equal importance is that those ordinary members of the public unfortunately caught in the middle of these pitched battles have the right to expect appropriate levels of protection.

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