Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue
1 (March 1999)
Issue
2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue
7 (May 2000)
Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)
Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)
Categories
Sport: 1
2 3
Lifestyles: 1 2
3
Commentary: 1 2
3
Review: 1 2
3
Writing: 1 2
3
Event: 1 2
3
Attacking Children
Shane Doyle
Templeogue College, Dublin
Shane Doyle is a Transition Year pupil in Templeogue College, Dublin. He spent his TY work experience with Student Xpress.
The human is the most advanced and intelligent creature on earth - or
so we like to think! I fail to understand how such an advanced species
can behave like rabid animals so easily. Over the last several weeks the
protests at the Holy Cross School in Ardoyne have shown just how far humankind
has really come in the last several thousand years. The Loyalists protestors
have portrayed themselves as brutal primitives and seem to revel in a
perverse glee while tormenting young girls going to school. The images
of these children, hugging their parents, faces streaming with tears have
seared themselves into my mind and cause a deeply powerful sadness and
anger.
It brings a tear to my eye to see those poor girls and their parents
struggling through lines of RUC men who look daunting in their black body
armour. No one, however, can blame these men for keeping those masks firmly
placed down over their faces. Death threats have been levelled against
them and many live in Protestant areas. More saddening than the stark
images of these young children are the images of their cruel tormentors.
These grown men and women are terribly upsetting to behold, but for a
different reason than you would think. Grown humans and followers of a
religion that preaches peace and love for their neighbours, find a place
inside themselves that allows them to spit and scream horrible abuse at
young children. This is nothing less than massive psychological torture.
How do these people sleep at night? Aren't they fathers and mothers themselves?
Do these people tell their children what they do? Do they say, "Well,
honey, today I spat on schoolgirls and I know it was the right thing to
do".
This whole thing, as far as I know, began because of an attack on a Protestant
boy, which allegedly involved some of the parents of girls who attend
the Holy Cross School. If this whole episode is because of an attack on
a boy, then how can it be solved by attacking more children? If this is
really about religion, where is evidence of "Love thy neighbour as
I have loved you", it does not say that when hurt, hurt children.
Reports from the Ardoyne Health Centre suggest that psychological damage
could be caused by the trauma. Paintings drawn by the girls of their experiences
depict some fairly horrific scenes and reveal sadness and pain, making
them much more poignant than a photograph. It is the realism of the child-like
qualities of the paintings that is what makes them so terrible. The pictures
show neat rows of daffodils that would have been present in early September
at the beginning of the school term. The trees are orange and yellow such
as the trees would be as the autumn season took hold. The windows at the
top of the school show faces looking out at the outside. The window is
the same grid pattern as the actual window of the school. Several pictures
have an explosion that must represent that of the pipe bomb thrown by
a teenage member of the UDA. One child's picture shown in the Irish Times
shows herself, her mother and a teddy bear along with the Loyalist protestors
and the RUC officers. In the picture she and her sister are crying. The
teddy bear remains happy however and is trying to comfort the crying sister.
The older girl's painting, which has the same striking realism as her
younger sister's, has the teddy bear with its hands on its mouth and looking
frightened. Local GP, Dr Michael Tan, appealed to health authorities to
provide some kind of help for these children. So far neither the local
health trust nor the Department of Health have provided a child psychologist
to help these children and their parents on a full time basis. Dr Tan
fears that severe damage could be done by the trauma constantly inflicted
upon these children.
One Loyalist woman, after these possible effects were reported by the media, shouted at the parents, "We've your nerves wrecked!" How long did she spend coming up with that witty comment? I find such barbarous comments difficult to understand. It is well known that in certain circumstances people can engage in behaviour that is not normal to them however, the persistent nature of this abuse is disturbing. I realise that in Northern Ireland this situation could be reversed with Catholics protesting and Protestants trying to take their children to school. But what we have witnessed is nothing more than sick, perverted abuse of young children and I believe the full application of the law is required. What would these parents do if the situation were to be reversed? What if it was them who had to walk their children through this tempest of horrors each day to school? What would they say then?