Birthday celebrations ruined by sectarian intimidation

The boy's mother says she would no longer feel comfortable allowing her son to travel to the cityside unaccompanied, adding the incident made a mockery of the city's pretensions as a City of Culture.

The boy - who does not wish to be named - said he and a friend were singled out by a group of between six and eight youths at the Carlisle Road/Orchard Street junction.

Whilst his friend made his escape towards the Fountain estate, he was forced to take refuge in a nearby shop until his friend's older brother arrived in a car to take him to the Waterside.

"They ran after my friend into the Fountain and were calling us names. They were calling us Orange b******s and stuff like that," he told the Sentinel.

The boy - who should have been celebrating his birthday - says he was subjected to abuse for over thirty minutes whilst the group of youths stood outside the shop into which he had fled. "It went on for about 30 minutes of 45 minutes," the boy said.

The boy eventually managed to get away when his friend's older brother arrived at the scene.

His mother says it is a sad indictment that someone from Newbuildings can no longer feel comfortable travelling to the cityside.

"This happens all the time," she said. "He won't be over the town himself. It's too bad someone from Newbuildings can't visit the town. It's our town as well. So much for the City of Culture."

The boy's aunt said it was a disgrace people were faced with this level of intimidation when they visited the west bank.

"I think it is an absolute disgrace that the people of Newbuildings are unable to go the town in fear of getting chased," she told the paper.