A West Belfast man has spoken out about billboards raising awareness of paramilitary control and violence. Malachy Turner said he was forced to close his restaurant, Ribs and Bibs in South Belfast, in 2018 following a campaign of paramilitary intimidation.
The Andersonstown man opened his restaurant in 2013 and soon after, demands for money began to come in. Refusing to pay, Malachy began to face intimidation including threatening phone calls and damage caused to his car.
The events culminated in a hammer attack at the Botanic Avenue premises, after which he was hospitalised with serious injuries. Continuing to deal with issues relating to the restaurant almost eight years later, Malachy is now at risk of losing his home of 30 years.
Read more: Use of force in killing of four IRA men ‘not justified’ – coroner
Read more: Study suggests 60% of adults experienced childhood trauma in NI
He has questioned the latest Stormont campaign against paramilitary groups, asking how victims will be supported if they speak out. Speaking to Belfast Live about his experience, Malachy said: "I wasn't long in the restaurant when I started seeing they didn't want me around there because of where I was from.
"I was told certain guys down here are leaning on me, and that I needed to pay these people. I said I wasn't paying anybody. They said they would put me out of business.
"All these things started happening. Someone smashed sensors in the fridges, so the food was going off and it cost me £700 to fix.
"They started stealing meat from the back of the restaurant. My car started getting attacked, then I started getting random calls. One night a guy called saying he was a loyalist, and that he knew what time my daughter finished work, he mentioned where she walked home at night.
"They said they were going to put a bullet in my son's head. I reported everything to police, this was going on for years."
In 2016, three years after opening the restaurant, Malachy was declared bankrupt in a dispute over building maintenance. Hearing about this, suppliers began demanding he paid in cash rather than cheques for deliveries.
"I got the restaurant opened again and because they bankrupted me, all my vendors didn't want to take a cheque from me. They all wanted cash," he explained.
"I had to bring thousands and thousands of pounds into that business to pay these people every week or month because they wouldn't take cheques on me. So because I was bringing thousands of pounds in, thousands of pounds started disappearing out the door, and eventually I just said I can't cope with this anymore."
By 2018, Malachy was looking for a way out of the business as the level of threats he was receiving began to intensify. However, soon after closing he was attacked in a life-changing incident.
He said: "I closed it around Christmas and a few weeks later I was down at the restaurant putting everything together. The door burst open, I was there on my own, and these guys came in with baseball bats and beat me half to death.
"I ended up in hospital with bad injuries, and I said that's it and never went back to the restaurant. I thought that would be the end of it."
After closing, Malachy was declared bankrupt and now faces the threat of losing his home. He claims he has been let down by the justice system and has received no support.
Explaining the impact this has had, he said: "I lost everything and I still have a heart attack every time the postman comes, because I'm worried about a letter coming through the door saying they're taking my house. I'm not going to let that happen.
"I'm a working class guy, I've done well, and I put all my money into this business. These guys sucked the life out of me, backed up by the judiciary who have done absolutely nothing for me. There must be something, somebody, or some government department that can help me.
"I really can't take this anymore. My two kids are growing up, and I thought at least I could leave them the house if anything ever happened to me. That's the only thing I've got left, and they're trying to take it off me."
Billboards appearing around parts of Belfast are part of a public awareness campaign called Ending the Harm which was launched last year by the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC). The billboards feature slogans such as "paramilitary gangs exploit hard-working local businesses" and "paramilitaries control our communities with violence, intimidation and drug dealing."
An official website states the campaign's wider aim is to ensure people are safe from paramilitary gangs and are supported to be more resilient against attempts to influence and control them.
In relation to his experience of intimidation, Malachy added: "I have written to politicians about this. I was intimidated, and stood up to them.
"I see the posters going up in Andytown saying not to let paramilitaries take over your business and to stand up to them. But if you stand up to them, you're going to be cruicifed - I'm walking proof."
A spokesperson from the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime said: "We do not comment on individual cases. However, it is important to note that the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime’s ‘Ending the Harm’ campaign does not ask people to ‘speak out’ against paramilitary gangs.
"The campaign aims to raise awareness of a number of ways that paramilitaries abuse and control vulnerable people in our communities, encouraging victims to come forward for help and support. If people have information relating to criminality in their community, we would urge them to contact the Police or the independent charity Crimestoppers."
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
English (United States)