Sir, - I refer to the dehumanising assault on 16-year-old Judith. Boylan by the Provisional "Thought Police" in Armagh last week. Since there's a civil and human rights bandwagon rolling in favour of Roisin McAliskey, I was wondering why Judith Boylan has not been invited on board.
Were not her civil and human rights also abused? Dragged from her place of work, assaulted and tied to a lamp post, her hair hacked off and paint poured over her by people who have been described as "Peace Activists"?
Yet there hasn't been a peep out of ICCL's Michael Farrell, or TDs amonn O Cuiv and Mary O'Rourke, who to the best of my knowledge haven't visited her home. RTE appears to have no plans to send a camera crew to monitor her daily progress as she recovers from her ordeal. Dick Spring hasn't called in any of the Sinn Fein Mahatmas to express his outrage. One suspects Mary Holland's column won't be reflecting the "growing concern" about the effects this assault will have on the future mental state of this young woman. And where, oh, where is the anti-Fascist brigade?
Will Judith get a mention on International Women's Day this coming weekend? One lives in hope. - Yours, etc
Weavers Street, Dublin 8.