An attack on a leading Orangeman's home yesterday has put community relations in the Co Antrim village of Crumlin under further strain.
The Glenavy District Master, Mr Tommy Ross, said his teenage daughter was lucky to escape unhurt after her bedroom window crashed in on her when it was smashed by someone wielding a sledgehammer. The attackers apparently tried to enter the house by hammering on the front door.
It is thought the attack was in response to the removal of black flags put up in the village as a mark of respect to the three Quinn children who were murdered in Ballymoney last weekend. The flags were put up by the Crumlin Concerned Community group, which opposes Orange parades through the mainly nationalist village. Members of the group blame Orangemen for taking the flags down while they were putting up bunting.
The broad-based Crumlin Community Forum, which has been trying to secure agreement between the two communities, condemned the attack. It said the removal of the flags showed a lack of sensitivity and a rejection of the grief "not only of the Catholic community, but of the community as a whole".