Mob rule must be brought end in East Belfast

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 25th Jul 2005

East Belfast Alliance MLA Naomi Long has condemned the behaviour of the gangs of men who have flooded the Garnerville Estate in East Belfast. A gang of 300 men descended on the estate last night and have been maintaining a presence in the area overnight, during which time a number of local families have fled the estate. The incident is being linked to the on-going UVF-LVF feud.

Cllr. Long said, "The situation which has developed in Garnerville is completely and totally intolerable and must be condemned. It is utterly

unacceptable that people who live in the area are being intimidated and terrorised by this kind of mob rule.

"The situation has been escalating in recent weeks with taxi drivers refusing to attend call-outs in the area, and has now reached a stage where the authority of the forces of law and order are being openly and publicly challenged. The apparent powerlessness of police in the face of this intimidation leaves the community feeling extremely vulnerable.

"The people engaged in this feuding clearly have no concern for the local people and are only interested in claiming territory so they can expand their criminal empire and line their own pockets at everyone else's expense. They are parasites who feed off the community and businesses, destroying and disrupting life, causing fear and uncertainty, and denying people a

decent quality of life.

"It is also clear that they are not interested in ending the current round of feuding, but are instead intent on escalating their turf war on the streets, irrespective of the damage they are causing to the local community in the process."

ENDS