By Liz Trainor


PROGRESSIVE Unionist assembly member Billy Hutchinson last night claimed he was “misinterpreted” by media after he did a U-turn on a call for an end to the loyalist protest in Ardoyne.

The PUP representative told reporters after the blast bomb attack that he was “ashamed to call himself a loyalist” and said the protest “might as well be
finished”.

But after a meeting with loyalist leaders from the Protestant Glenbyrn estate Mr Hutchinson said his quotes had been taken out of context.

“After the blast I said I was ashamed to be a loyalist. But at the end of the day I am a political representative and have to defend the human rights of the residents.

“I have to ensure they have representation. We can’t walk away from this. We need a structured process. I cannot leave it until it is finished,” he said.

Earlier Mr Hutchinson said: “No protest can be justified now. This is no longer about children going to school. It is about people out to cause trouble and I don’t want to be part of it.

“I have to say to you that the concerns about our human rights in this area pale into insignificance after what happened here this morning. No human rights, nobody’s human rights is worth what happened here this morning.”

The PUP spokesman said the “protest might as well be finished” because he feared his community had lost the argument because media would focus only on the blast bomb being thrown.

Mr Hutchinson, who was in the area when the blast bomb exploded, said he felt “utterly ashamed” for the attack which left four RUC officers injured and caused panic among school girls and their parents.

“I’m totally disgusted, I’m ashamed to call myself a loyalist...calling them (bombers) animals would be derogatory to animals; animals wouldn’t even do that.

“The terror on the children’s faces was unbelievable. It totally sickened me to the pit of my stomach that I watched the terror on their faces,” he said.

“As a parent, I feel totally, totally and utterly ashamed this morning at what has happened.”

North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds, who echoed calls for a resolution, described the blast attack as “absolutely disgraceful”.

“It’s deplorable and I hope that the officers concerned make a full recovery.

“I think it’s a disgraceful situation. I think that anyone who would throw blast bombs when kids are going back up to school is absolutely deplorable.

“It cannot be justified and I think it does bring dishonour to anyone who would claim to be a loyalist.”

Mr Dodds said the situation had to be “sorted out”.

“This cannot go on, I said on Monday that the sort of police operation and the heavy presence and so on was inevitably going to build tensions.

“Inevitably it is going to lead to difficulties in trying to find a resolution.

Mr Dodds called for “breathing space” and “a cooling off period” in a bid to find a solution.

“I propose that means for a short period of time (children and parents) go by an alternative route that would allow a breathing space in the community.”

UDP spokesman John White said the protesters should conduct their protest in a “peaceful and dignified” manner.“It is vital dialogue is allowed to take place and that people let elected representatives take part in discussions.”

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