Ballymena Protestants: Not In Our Name

In among all the analysis, counter analysis, and even the in-depth counter analysis of the IRA statement, you could be forgiven for missing the other historic statement which took place in Ballymena on Friday.

Following on from the vandalism of two Catholic churches in the town, members of the nearby Protestant High Kirk church cleaned grafitti off the walls and doors of the Church Of Our Lady in Harryville. Members of the High Kirk congregation also presented massgoers with roses in an unprecedented gesture of goodwill.

At a time when ‘Actions Not Words’ is the mantra of Unionist politicians, it’s refreshing to see people getting up and doing something positive rather than just talking about change. I hope this sends a clear message to people in Northern Ireland: your religeon and your politics are one facet of your identity, they shouldn’t stop you from showing decency and respect toward other human beings!

I’d love to see more of these random acts - they’re better than the structured, cross-community programs because they are heartfelt and spontaneous, not planned. A commenter on the Slugger O’Toole website shared the following experience.

In late June, a young protestant school kid in Randalstown was so angered at loyalists erecting a union jack outside a catholic school that he took it down on his way to school and gave it to his teachers, saying he did not want his catholic friends to feel intimidated. - Comment on Slugger O’Toole

Hopefully we’ll hear more of this in the news in the weeks and months ahead. In my book, this is more of an historic statement, more of a seismic shift in our culture than a statement from terrorists can ever be.