By Northern Ireland Information Service

The main story which dominated both the front and back pages of the local newspapers on Thursday, Aug. 22, was the loyalist death threat aimed towards NI International, Neil Lennon.

The future international football career of Neil Lennon was in doubt last night following a loyalist death threat. The player pulled out of captaining his country after consulting with his family. It is understood a death threat against him came in a telephone call to the BBC from a caller claiming to represent the LVF.

There was widespread condemnation of the death threat. Jim Rodgers described those behind the threat as sick, evil people with no place in a civilized society. NI Manager, Sammy McIlroy, said he was determined to persuade Lennon to continue playing for his country, and said "I don't want these people to influence my football team."

IFA General Secretary, David Bowen, said, "The manager spoke to Neill and Neil spoke to his family. For family reasons he told us that he had to withdraw from the game." IFA President Jim Boyce said, "This is just unbelievable, it is a terrible blight once again on society in Northern Ireland." Deputy First Minister, Mark Durkan said the sectarian threats against Neil Lennon are"deplorable."

For more reports on the threats, read the Irish News, page 1; News Letter, pages 1 and 2; Irish Times, page 1; Irish Independent, page 1; Independent, page 5; Guardian, page 3; Daily Telegraph, page 5; Mirror, page 1 and 15; Sun, pages 1 and 16.

Irish News editorial, page 8 - The paper states that those wanting to encourage a more welcoming atmosphere at Windsor Park have their work cut out following recent events at the stadium. It also states that it is crucial that Neil Lennon receives the full backing of the IFA in the matter.

News Letter editorial, page 8 - The paper says that yesterday's development was a sinister reminder that there are people in this country who cannot see past a person's religion, and it casts its own dark shadow over Windsor Park. It also states that no doubt the faceless morons who issued the threats against him believed they scored a victory when he returned to Scotland. They did nothing of the kind. What they did was to remind us that sectarianism and bigotry continues to eat at the very fabric of our society.
 

The following transcripts are courtesy of the Northern Ireland Information Service

JANE KENNEDY - BBC RADIO ULSTER, Aug. 21, 2002

INTERVIEWER

First of all, Minister, just your reaction to the news that an alleged threat was made against Neil Lennon tonight?

JANE KENNEDY

I'm very sad and ashamed at what's happened this evening. I think it's shameful that people cannot go about their lawful business, without intimidation and threats, as we've seen made against Neil Lennon. And, once again, a handful of sectarian bigots have disgraced Northern Ireland in the eyes of the world, by ensuring that he did not feel able to play, and represent his country in an international game.

INTERVIEWER

And Minister, if I could just say, another night of violence in East Belfast. What's your reaction to this?

JANE KENNEDY

Well, once again, the police are being attacked by a mob who are attacking them with blast bombs, nail bombs, petrol bombs. We've a police truck that has nails embedded in it. These are murderous attacks upon the police, who are there, in their capacity as defending the community, they are being attacked in a most disgraceful way. And those people that are engaged in this kind of violence are harming their own communities, and at the same time, damaging the very fabric of the society that we're seeking to create here in Northern Ireland.

JANE KENNEDY - RADIO ULSTER, 8 a.m. NEWS - Aug. 22, 2002

BROADCASTER

The Security Minister, Jane Kennedy, blamed sectarian bigots for the threat.

JANE KENNEDY

I'm very sad and ashamed at what happened this evening. I think it's shameful that people cannot go about their lawful business, without intimidation and threats, as we've seen made against Neil Lennon. And, once again, a handful of sectarian bigots have disgraced Northern Ireland in the eyes of the world, by ensuring that he did not feel able to play, and represent his country in an international game.

JANE KENNEDY - 1PM SKY NEWS, Aug. 22, 2002

JANE KENNEDY

The police here do take very, very seriously such threats against whoever they're made. We see here instances of ambulance staff being driven out of their ambulance station last night, we see instances of fire crews being attacked by mobs. You know, the people who are engaged in this are damaging, not just their own communities that they purport to represent and defend, but they're damaging the whole of society in Northern Ireland. Now the Government response is multi-faceted, we are looking at this problem from every angle.

BRIAN ROWAN - TALKBACK, Aug. 22, 2002

INTERVIEWER

Brian, just let's step back a moment now, and if we just fill in what we know now about the sequence of events yesterday.
 
BRIAN ROWAN

Well, what I've been told this morning by an LVF, it's a senior LVF source in Belfast, is that that organization was not behind this death threat. The source told me that no call had been made by that organization. He said he knew that for a fact, and he dismissed the call as nonsense, and said it was a hoax. 

Now this is a source I'm speaking to, it's a well informed source, a well placed source. But we now wait to see if the LVF organization go one step further, and whether there's some sort of official statement from that organization, officially denying that they were behind this threat to Neill Lennon.

INTERVIEWER

But obviously the police were sufficiently concerned to initiate a series of contacts, as I understand it?

BRIAN ROWAN

Let me just put this into some kind of context, Leo. In their contacts with the media, and with others, paramilitary organizations will usually use what have come to be known as recognized code words. It's our way of authenticating the statement. That is usually the case, as I say, it's not always the case. Now on this call yesterday, there was no code word given, but the LVF organization was mentioned. The Police were advised, and we know how things develop from there, Neill Lennon decide to withdraw from the game against Cyprus. 

Now my understanding is that as soon as the Police had that information, it was passed to the Football Authorities. The Northern Ireland Soccer Manager, Sammy McIlroy, was informed and it's my understand then that two senior police officers, two inspectors from the Antrim policing area went to the team hotel, and they were available to speak to Neill Lennon.

Now, what would have happened, as I understand it is, they would have laid out the facts. They would not have said to Neill Lennon we're advising you not to play, we're telling you not to play. At the end of the day, that's a matter for the player himself, and the decision was his in the end. But Stephen painted out the context to all of this. There's a background to it all. 

A few games ago at Windsor Park, when he was booed by a section of the fans, I was there that night with my son, and it wasn't a pleasant occasion. So you can imagine what it was like for the player on the pitch, and then the threats against his family, and now this call, bogus or not, hoax or not. You can imagine, I mean just put yourself in Neill Lennon's football boots for a moment or two, you know there are some people who are saying, suggesting that he over-reacted, that he should have played. 

But had he been on that pitch last night, would his mind have been on the game, or would his mind have been on this threat that was made in this call, and I think we all know the answer to that.

INTERVIEWER

What about the broader atmosphere? I mean in a way one imagines that perhaps the police advice, the tone of the police advice, would be, would reflect their general assessment of the state of the tensions within the community at the moment. Is this also perhaps a lesson for us of just how tense the police believe things are?

BRIAN ROWAN

Well, the police have an obligation to advise people when a threat is made. This call contained a death threat to this player, and as I've said just a moment ago, there's a background context to all of this. There is, as you know, on the ground a very bad situation at this stage, but I think in terms of the police and their handling of this issue, that it would have been dealt with in that very tight and specific frame. 

Here is a call that has been made, here is a threat that has been made, it purports to come from the LVF organization, there is no code word in this case, and then it's over to the player, and whoever he decides to consult. Now, as I've said this morning, I've been in touch with, I've been in contact with a senior LVF source, and he is saying that that organization had absolutely nothing to do with that call, or with this threat.