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GV Church (2 shots)
0.06

2.
SV Fr. Courtney
0.27

3.
GV Damaged windows & statues (4 shots)
0.50

4.
SVs Chair, benches damaged, debris on floor (2 shots)
1.00


REPORTER: "St Anthony's Roman Catholic church in East Belfast suffered most from the violence. A crowd of two hundred attacked it.



PRIEST: "(INDISTINCT) a loud noise of crashing on the front gates of the church and a lorry had been hijacked and had smashed the front gates of the church and with pick-axes and with sledge-hammers they knocked down the from down of the church and entered into the church.



REPORTER: "The crowd ransacked the interior of the church, smashing valuable stained glass widows and ripped out fittings. While part of the crowd attacked the interior others set fire to the church hall, and a petrol bomb was thrown inside the church. It failed to go off. The Catholic community in this part of Belfast is isolated. Their churches are all guarded as likely targets, but the army just don't have the manpower to provide protection against the fury of a mob like last nights's".



In Belfast Wednesday night two-hundred rioters attacked Saint Anthony's Roman Catholic church...



SOF STARTS: "A loud noise....."



SOF OUT:"...into the church".



The interior of the church was ransacked - valuable stained glass windows were smashed and church furnishings thrown down. While part of the crowd was busy in the church other rioters set fire to the church hall. An attempt to fire the church failed: a petrol bomb was thrown into it but didn't go off. Elsewhere in Belfast on Wednesday three police stations were attacked and a soldier and policeman were injured. Nine men were arrested.




Initials SGM/0205 SGM/0150


T'RECORDING original colour on 13606/72 27ft

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: In widespread rioting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, last night (Wednesday, 11 October) a Roman Catholic church and three police stations were attacked, one soldier and one policeman were injured, and nine men were arrested.

An army spokesman later said the attack on the church was an obvious attempt by Protestants youths to force a confrontation with the army.

A lorry was hijacked and used to smash through the church gates, and a priest said pick-axes and sledge-hammers were than used to knock down the church doors. Stained glass windows were smashed, and church furniture smashed and damaged. The church hall was set on fire, but an attempt to fire the church too failed.

This film carries a voiced commentary by a BBC reporter and includes an interview with Father John Courtney.

An alternative written commentary is also supplied.