Town tense after weekend stand off
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
THERE where fears that Ballyclare Square would descend into mayhem after two rival groups of up to 30 men were reported to be involved in a stand off following an altercation in a local bar.
The Ballyclare Gazette understands the situation developed after a heated argument between two men in a bar. Within a short space of time car loads of men began arriving in the Square and it was from there the stand off ensued.
One eye witness told the Gazette: " Lots of cars turned up, and men got of the cars. A large stand off between two groups began."
A scuffle had broke out earlier in the night and according to one source this was the reason for a heavy presence in the town. "Apparently some words where said and then before you knew it two large groups had formed."
Once source said rival factions had come from outside the town before gathering in the square.
Two large crowds gathered and it was obvious that they were two types of palimilitary groups. During the 'stand off' there was a real concern that trouble was going to kick off. It was very tense and one little thing would have set them off. Thankfully no punches where thrown, otherwise we might have been looking at the possibility of serious violence in the town. I just hope this is not the start of something bigger."
There was a significant police presence in the town, a spokesperson for the PSNI said that no incidents where reported.
Another eyewitness told the Gazette how they feared things were really going to turn nasty. "There was about 30 men in total hanging around and the atmosphere in and around the town was so tense you literally could have cut it with a knife.
“I'm not 100 p/c sure what was said to start this all off, all's I do know is that things quickly escalated from having a quiet drink in the pub on a Saturday to almost being caught up in a riot-like situation. The speed at which all these other men appeared was quite scary and I really dread to think what could have happened.
“Ballyclare doesn't need this type of thing. The people down here aren't interested in getting involved in anything like this, the town is trying to move on and the last thing we need is for something like this to become a regular event.
“What is concerning me the most however is the fact that this issue still doesn't seem to have been completely resolved. On Sunday there was plenty of blokes hanging around the town and the majority of them seemed to have their mobiles permanently clamped to their ears.
“There is an uneasy atmosphere in the town at the minute and I hope that this petty situation can be sorted out without any violence.
