Belfast playwright Gary Mitchell and his family have been forced out of their home in Glengormley in Newtownabbey by loyalist paramilitaries. His parents were recently forced to leave their home in Rathcoole, also in Newtownabbey, by the same "rogue" elements, according to the writer.
The family has been subjected to a spate of attacks by paramilitaries, partly motivated by their aversion to the manner in which the playwright depicted loyalism in plays such as the award-winning In A Little World of Our Own, notwithstanding the fact Mr Mitchell comes from such a background himself.
Last week Mr Mitchell's Glengormley home was petrol-bombed by loyalists while he, his wife, Alison, seven-year-old son Harry and his disabled father Chuck were in the house.
Alison described on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme yesterday how her terrified son said to her, "I am going to die, aren't I?" and how, during the ordeal, Chuck Mitchell had a heart attack. The playwright and his family were ordered to leave the home and not return. They are now staying with relatives.
Chuck Mitchell and his wife Sandra were forced from their home in Rathcoole seven months earlier after a campaign of intimidation, said Gary Mitchell.
His grandmother was also intimidated but she refused to leave her home. She died last week. The Mitchells had to have a police escort to attend her funeral because of the paramilitary threats, which were also directed at his uncle, said the playwright.
He believed "rogue" paramilitaries were involved and that the attacks were as a result of how he depicted loyalism and also because of a domestic event that had got out of hand. "I do know that there are petty jealousies and people want to settle, maybe, scores [ at] how they were depicted or how they feel loyalism is depicted," he said.
"But I think this is more to do with a domestic situation that has gone very, very wrong, and this has escalated now to rogue paramilitaries threatening my whole family who are not involved in this in any shape or form."
