Empey says attack on GAA club is development he feared
Following the arson attack on a GAA club in County Fermanagh on Wednesday afternoon, Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey said that those responsible were playing into the hands of those who were attacking and burning orange halls.
Sir Reg said the last thing anyone needed in Northern Ireland was tit-for-tat sectarian attacks that targeted GAA clubs and orange halls. In a statement he said,
“This completely unwarranted arson attack on a GAA club in Fermanagh is exactly the kind of development we were fearing after the recent spate of attacks on Orange Halls. Those who are attempting to ramp up tensions and provoke a retaliatory response by attacking orange halls must not be given the fuel they need. It is self evident that in attacking GAA clubs those responsible are playing into the hands of those burning orange halls.
I would appeal for an end to all attacks. They are unnecessary, stupid and can only lead to further division.”