Carnagat community unites against ‘life threatening attacks’ on motorists
An increase in what has been described as ‘life threatening stone throwing attacks’ on vehicles along stretches of both the Carnagat Road and Camlough Road in Newry has been highlighted by Carnagat Community Association.
The local community gathers in Carnagat to voice their disapproval at stone throwing incidents in the area. Photo: Joseph Lennon
Community association members and local residents with support from Derrybeg Community Association and other Newry community groups have held silent protests to show those engaged in these attacks that people have had enough.
The Carnagat Community Association has appealed to those engaged in the attacks to stop immediately.
A spokesperson for the group told Newry Times, “Carnagat Community Association has consistently appealed to the young people engaged in attacks on vehicles using the Camlough and Carnagat roads to stop this anti-community activity.
“The lives of motorists and local residents are being put in danger and we fear it is only a matter of time before a serious crash occurs as a result of these attacks.”
Around 50 people attended last night’s protest. Photo: Joseph Lennon
“We have worked closely with young people, statutory bodies including the NIHE, PSNI and Translink to stop the stone throwing attacks on vehicles.
“Last year young people and committee members produced a booklet using animation to highlight the dangers of such attacks. We have gone out of our way to engage with all the young people in the area and provided a range of social activities including day trips.
“Unfortunately,” the spokeperson continued, “a small number of young people have chosen to ignore the wishes of their community and have increased the level of attacks on vehicles in recent weeks.”
The community association added, “We would like to thank all the people from the Carnagat, Derrybeg and other community groups who have braved the inclement weather during the past few nights to stand together to highlight our collective disgust.
A young Carnagat resident has a message for stone throwing youths. Photo: Joseph Lennon
“There are no ‘quick fixes’ and we do not claim to have all the answers. During the past two years we have engaged with various statutory authorities to try and tackle this dangerous vandalism.
“We decided to ‘make a stand’ with local residents and engage in a silent protest to show the people of Newry that this community will not tolerate these attacks on people going about their everyday business.
The spokesperson added, “We believe that if local communities are united they can put their frustrations to good use in the interests of everyone.”
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Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=50696
Posted by Newry Times News
on Apr 29 2015. Filed under Community, News.
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