Northern Ireland Assembly members today backed an amended motion condemning republican and loyalist violence, sectarianism and calling on all parties to support the province's police service.
Ulster Unionist MLAs succeeded by 47 votes to 33 in their amendment to a Sinn Féin motion condemning sectarianism passed.
Criticising the original Sinn Féin motion which called on the Assembly to affirm the right of everyone to live free from all forms of sectarian harassment and violence, Esmond Birnie (UUP, South Belfast) claimed it fell prey "to a fallacy". "That fallacy is in a sense everyone is to blame, so no-one in particular is to blame.
"It does not face the uncomfortable truth that the major drivers of sectarian tension very often have been the activities of paramilitaries."
Acknowledging the involvement of loyalist terror groups in sectarian violence, Mr Birnie continued: "If one is to be seriously anti-sectarian, one must call for a halt to all paramilitary activity and for this to be done in transparent and verifiable ways.
"There must be an end to the expelling of unfortunate individuals from their homes here in Northern Ireland. There must, indeed, be an end to torture beatings."
Earlier, Gerry Kelly said the motion should have been easy to pass.
It was not Sinn Féin's intention, he insisted, to create a "dogfight" between parties. All his party wanted was for Stormont to show leadership to nationalist and loyalist communities who had had to live with the reality of almost nightly sectarian violence and intimidation.
"In the last two years there have been six people killed by loyalist attacks - four Catholics and two Protestants who were mistaken for Catholics," he noted.
"There have been hundreds of gun and bomb attacks and innumerable other sectarian attacks on people and property. There is documented evidence of 363 sectarian attacks in a three month period in Short Strand.
"In north Belfast since the Loyalist Commission's `no first strike' statement of June 15, we have seen at least 25 gun attacks, 29 bomb attacks and over 66 other attacks including stabbings, petrol bomb attacks and massive damage to property on the nationalist part of our community.
"I know that other members, unionist and loyalist can supply their own horrific lists. While I can only speak of the consequences of anti-Catholic sectarian attacks, I am not blind to the suffering of many Protestants over the various walls.
"I could argue and do argue that the vast majority of sectarian attacks are against Catholics and nationalists. However the fact that the most significant proportion of attacks are from loyalists does not help these Protestants who suffer from similar attacks, so we must make it crystal clear that we are against sectarianism from wherever it emanates or whoever might be the victim."
Putting forward his own amendment, the Rev Ian Paisley (DUP, North Antrim) claimed sectarianism was a term dating from the Protestant reformation used by Catholics to condemn those who criticised their faith.
Everything Protestant, he argued, was branded sectarian by nationalists and republicans whether it was the Orange Order, Protestant churches, police or the old Stormont Parliament.
Accusing Sinn Féin of hypocrisy, he insisted MLAs did not have to reaffirm their commitment to non violence.
"There has been no real affirmation that everybody in this Assembly is committed to non violence and peaceful and democratic means," he claimed.
PA